LALO SCHIFRIN: THE DISSECTION AND RECONSTRUCTION
OF MUSIC FROM THE PAST AS PERFORMED BY THE INMATES
OF LALO SCHIFRIN'S DEMENTED ENSEMBLE AS A TRIBUTE
TO THE MEMORY OF THE MARQUIS DE SADE

I was reticent about the idea of translating the trends of preclassical European music into the modern idiom as suggested by Creed Taylor, but the temptation to do so became irresistible and finally I have accepted the challenge.

The difficulty of such a project rests in the apparent divorce between the old traditions and the new approaches.  We have been told many times about the resemblance of baroque music with contemporary jazz, but we could also point out their tremendous differences (phrasing, rhythm, attack, dynamics, form, etc.).  Besides most of the previous experiments trying to merge both idioms had not been completely successful, and where they were, their success was only on the surface; the use of clichés from the 18^th century or the addition of jazz rhythm sections to a Bach fugue have proven in my opinion to be very naïve.

The real task was to go to the heart of the matter and transform the styles of the old masters with a new perspective without losing either spirit or “swing” and keeping both intact after the inevitable chemical reaction that their merger would produce.  Old memories of my years of classical training came doubly to mind.  I realize now to what degree I have been unconsciously absorbing the discoveries of certain melodic contours or harmonic progressions that have impressed me because of hidden similarities in both idioms.

Above all, there is the inner freedom, the spontaneity and the complex simplicity that is common ground for what I have always called “good music”, regardless of labels, schools, or movements. Finally, let us not underestimate the importance of the old practice of improvisation that has been almost forgotten in our century. Only jazz musicians have kept it alive and become masters of its technique.

This album does not represent a pretentious attempt to superimpose two eras of music history.  It is, rather, a collection of impressions of my split musical personality and most of all should be approached with tolerance from both sides since my only ambition was to play a musical game, a sort of “divertisement” .  Fun, sense of humor and a harmless secret perversion are its basic ingredients.

“The Blues for Johann Sebastian” is dedicated to the memory of J.S. Bach’s youngest son, J. Gottfried Bernhard (1715-1739).  It represents an attempt to express the dramatic lyricism of the baroque school within the 12-bar minor blues format.  The piano solo expresses painfully its joy while the brass, as a distant echo of the organ, ascends like a climbing vine through the columns of the Gothic cathedral.

“The Wig” is another composition of mine.  I was trying to write a sonatine in the classical style while I was listening to recordings by Ramsey Lewis, the Rolling Stones, and Count Basie.  I must admit that the final result is quite shocking.

“Renaissance” is based on a harmonic progression characteristic of that period.  The flute, piano, and electric guitar improvise the variations on the theme exposed by the lute. 

“Troubadour” is patterned after the modes of secular music in the middle ages and honors at the same time the poet-singers from the 12^th century and their contemporary version, the jazz musicians.

“Aria” was the product of a delirious experience.  I was playing at the piano some fragments of “Dido and Aeneas” by the outstanding English composer, Henry Purcell (1659-1695), while my wife was reading Aztec poetry in loud voice.  After the recitativo, the theme of the aria apposes its tragic serenity to a driving 9/8 rhythm pattern.

“Marquis de Sade” is written in memory of one of the fountainheads (together with Aeschylus, Shakespeare, and Freud) of modern psychoanalysis.  I imagine that these are the sort of melodies he used to hum during his hallucinations.

“Bossa Antique” is based on a ground bass pattern of which Carl Phillip Emmanuel Bach was very fond.  I am quite sure that this is the way he would have written this piece if he had had the opportunity to visit Brazil, together with his friend, Johann Joachim Eschenburg.

“Beneath A Weeping Willow Shade” is a transcription of a song by one of the first American composers, Francis Hopkinson (1737-1791).  I have changed the melody and the lyrics of this piece with the purpose of conveying my musical impressions of the Mona Lisa’s moustache.

“Versailles Promenade” takes as a point of departure the charm and elegance of the Rococo Period; there is no doubt that this kind of music was the real cause of the French Revolution.

Finally, I dedicate “Old Laces” to my personal manager, and friend, Clarence Avant, a known dilettante with profound inclinations toward the Late Baroque music.  It is based on a Fantasy by Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767), who is enjoying today a degree of popularity never before achieved.

Lalo Schifrin