Ins and Outs and Lalo Live At the Blue Note

Album Review

Because he is so well-known as a film composer and arranger, Lalo Schifrin's skills as a jazz pianist are sometimes underrated. However, this excellent CD puts the focus on his piano playing, and Schifrin is heard throughout in particularly creative form. The eight selections originally on his 1982 album Ins and Outs are reissued in full, teaming Schifrin with flutist Sam Most (who is heard in his prime), bassist Andy Simpkins, drummer Earl Palmer, and percussionist Paulinho Da Costa. Five of the songs are Schifrin's (including "Down Here on the Ground" and "The Fox") and there are also versions of "Brazilian Impressions" and two Dizzy Gillespie numbers ("Manteca" and "Con Alma"). Schifrin and Most work particularly well together. In addition, two lengthy numbers ("Chano" and "Ritual") from a 2002 appearance at the Blue Note are included, featuring Schifrin, trumpeter Jon Faddis, Dick Oatts on soprano, flute, and tenor, bassist Ray Drummond, and drummer Grady Tate. Schifrin shows that he has lost nothing through the years and is still very adept at playing both bebop and Afro-Cuban jazz.