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South China Morning Post
20-07-2025
- Entertainment
- South China Morning Post
In pictures: Bruce Lee's career revisited on the 52nd anniversary of his death
On the anniversary of martial arts legend Bruce Lee's death, a look back at highlights from his career.
Scroll.in
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Scroll.in
From Lalo Schifrin to Duke Ellington, sacred music to a jazz beat
June 26 saw the demise of the famed Argentine-American pianist, composer, arranger, and conductor Lalo Schifrin at the age of 93. He is best known for his work as a composer for films and television shows going back to the 1950s. I listened to a compilation of his 'greatest hits' and relived some of those films or shows I had watched. I had forgotten that he was responsible for the film score to the 1973 martial arts blockbuster Enter the Dragon, my introduction to Bruce Lee and my brother's pin-up hero. Listening to the music once again brough back memories of the kung fu craze, the Bruce Lee hairstyle (and bloodcurdling yells and flying kicks to go with it) and improvised nanchakus from discarded sticks from the Vaglo cloth store. Nothing can take you back in time like music. So much Hindi film music was 'inspired' by this track. It is a testament to Schifrin's versatility and adaptability that he could make his music just as fresh and relevant through all the intervening decades to the present. He will probably be most remembered by today's young generation for scoring the Mission Impossible theme. I hadn't realised that the distinctive tune in 5/4 time with its dash-dash dot-dot metre spells out in Morse code the letters M and I, for Mission Impossible. Pretty ingenious. Play After I had listened to Schifrin's 'life in music' in terms of film and television scores, I decided to explore his wider oeuvre. I was intrigued by a composition titled Jazz Suite on Mass Texts, originally released on the RCA Victor label in 1965, composed and conducted by Schifrin. The tracks are titled Kyrie, Interludium, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, Prayer, Offertory and Agnus Dei. Scored for choir and an assortment of woodwind, brass, harp, vibraphone, piano, bass, drums and other percussion, I have to say that with the possible exception of the last track (Agnus Dei), the album left me cold. I found a review which chastised reactions like mine: 'Certainly much of the record can be found leading into the realm of experimental music, and the critical listener should not be so critical, but rather sit, enjoy, and open their mind and listening senses.' To me, (on a first listening at any rate; I'll revisit it soon) the Mass text (sung by the choir in English although the titles are in Latin) seems tacked on to the jazzy accompaniment. The sung text could just as well have been the contents of recipe cookbook for all the impact it made. Play As I trawled through YouTube for the above track, I found a set that resonated much more with me, and that I hadn't heard before. This year marks the 60th anniversary of the American jazz composer, conductor and pianist Edward Kennedy 'Duke' Ellington's Concert of Sacred Music (1965), the same year as Schifrin's Jazz Suite on Mass Texts. Ellington followed this up with his Second Sacred Concert in 1968 and Third in 1973. He called these concerts 'the most important thing I have ever done'. Ellington died on May 27, 1974, from complications of lung cancer and pneumonia, six months after his last Sacred Concert performance. He clarified many times that he was not trying to compose a Mass. The 1965 concert took place as part of a series of events called 'Festival of Grace' to celebrate the opening of San Francisco's Grace Cathedral. The Very Reverend C Julian Bartlett, the cathedral Dean, who invited him, wrote that 'Duke Ellington has been endowed by God with the gift of genius', calling him 'one of the giants of contemporary music.' But not everyone was a fan. As critic Richard S. Ginell puts it, at the time 'conservatives called it a blasphemous attempt to sully religion with jazz' while 'radicals thought it was a sellout on bended knee to organized religion'. Both Schifrin and Ellington (and later Dave Brubeck) responded to progressive members of the clergy in taking up the challenge of fusing Christian texts with jazz. Another critic Gary Giddins described these concerts as Ellington bringing the Cotton Club revue to the church. I've not found the original review to assess whether this comparison was meant as compliment or sniffing dismissal. Listening and watching the footage of that same concert, I hear the influence of Gospel and spirituals, tapping into Ellington's evidently deep faith. It would be difficult to find a more sincere and heartfelt offering than Esther Marrow singing Ellington's treatment of The Lord's Prayer or Come Sunday. Play In the Beginning God connects Genesis with the 20th century with this lyric to underline the emptiness: 'No poverty, no Cadillacs, no sand traps, no bottom, no birds, no bees, no Beatles....' The programme is a montage from several stages in Ellington's career, reflecting how seamlessly his belief seeped into his art. The concert ends with a tap dance routine by Bunny Briggs, who Ellington introduces tongue-in-cheek, tongue-twistingly as 'the most super-leviathonic, rhythmaturgically syncopated taps-the-maticianisamist' to David Danced before the Lord with all his Might and a reprise of Come Sunday. The Second Sacred Concert, this time using fresh compositions premiered at New York's Cathedral of St John the Divine, but no recording of it exists. It was subsequently recorded in a studio. It was the first time Alice Babs (dubbed 'the Swedish Julie Andrews') appeared with Ellington's band, singing Heaven, Almighty God Has Those Angels (with stunning improvisations by Johnny Hodges on alto saxophone and by Russell Procope on clarinet), the wordless vocal aptly named T.G.T.T. ('Too Good to Title') and Praise God and Dance. The song Freedom is introduced by Ellington as 'that much used, often misused word' and he ends it with an eloquent tribute to his friend Billy Strayhorn, who had died recently. Play Shepherd Who Watches Over the Night Flock is a tribute to pastor John Genzel, New York City, who Ellington says 'has made many sacrifices to help the people who live at night, by night or through the night, if they're lucky' with brooding 'growl' trumpet by Cootie Williams. By the Third Sacred concert (which premiered in London's Westminster Abbey in 1973), Ellington, stricken with lung cancer, was aware that his end was near. 'Is God a three-letter word for love? Is Love a four-letter word for God?' he asks, adding 'Whether former or later, really doesn't matter.' The concert was held on October 24, which is United Nations Day, commemorating the anniversary of the entry into force of the UN Charter in 1945. Introducing the performance, British diplomat Sir Colin Crowe said, 'The UN is once again in the eye of a storm', a reference to the 1973 Arab-Israeli so-called Yom Kippur or Ramadan war. He added, '…and without disrespect to the Secretary-General, if only Duke Ellington had to conduct their debates, maybe we really should get some harmony.' Half a century later, the United Nations is even more impotent, and due to the same region of the world. It seems doomed to go the way of the League of Nations before it, into the dustbin of history.
The Herald Scotland
29-06-2025
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Without birthright citizenship, these celebs might not be Americans
On June 27, the Supreme Court lifted temporary blocks preventing Trump's order from taking effect, but left it to lower courts to consider the constitutionality of Trump's executive order. Whether Trump will ultimately be able to repeal the longstanding legal precedent that grants citizenship to all children born on American soil is unclear. Here are some well-known actors and politicians who would not have been American citizens when they were born if birthright had not existed. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, 54, is the son of Cuban immigrants who did not become naturalized U.S. citizens until 1975, years after their son was born. Rubio has previously said he does not agree with repealing birthright citizenship. Diane Guerrero Actress Diane Guerrero, who starred in the hit television show "Orange is the New Black," was born to undocumented immigrants from Columbia who were deported when she was 14, she told NPR in 2019. In an interview with the outlet, she said, "This is a country of immigrants. People forget - they like to forget that their ancestors came here with the same dream, with the same hopes, with the same fears. And it's unfair to say that because people are coming later that they don't deserve to be here." Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor who ran for the Republican nomination for president in 2024, was born in South Carolina to immigrants from the Punjab region of India, according to her autobiography. In 2015, she told The State news outlet that her parents were in the United States legally but did not become naturalized citizens until after her birth, and the non-partisan American Immigration Council considers her a U.S. citizen because of her place of birth. Bruce Lee Bruce Lee, the martial arts icon who starred in films such as "Enter the Dragon" and "Fists of Fury," was born in San Francisco while his parents were traveling with the Chinese Opera. The National Archives notes that under birthright citizenship he was considered a citizen - though he would not be under Trump's revision to the law. "Lee's parents filed for a Return Certificate on his behalf ... enabling him to return to the United States if he later wished to do so. Lee did return at the age of 18 and grew into the iconic martial artist and film star known across the world." Trump's executive order ending birthright citizenship may have been designed explicitly against his November rival for the presidency, former Vice President Kamala Harris. David Bier, of the Libertarian Cato Institute, posted on X the day Trump signed the order: "As I predicted, Trump's birthright citizenship EO includes a Kamala Harris clause, specifically designed to deny the legitimacy of her US citizenship as the child of someone with a temporary status." Trump's order specifies that someone wouldn't be entitled to birthright if their mother was on a temporary visa - like the student visa Harris' mother was on at the time of her birth - and their father wasn't a citizen, as hers wasn't. Vivek Ramaswamy Vivek Ramaswamy, the tech billionaire and 2024 Republican presidential candidate, told NBC News in 2023 that his father never became a U.S. citizen and his mother only naturalized after he was born. Ramaswamy, who Trump endorsed in next year's Ohio gubernatorial race, has repeatedly called for an end to birthright citizenship. Contributing: Maureen Groppe, Eduardo Cuevas, Sara Chernikoff, Ramon Padilla and Bart Jansen, USA TODAY
Time of India
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Lalo Schifrin, the seminal composer of Mission: Impossible, Enter the Dragon and Dirty Harry, passes away at 93
Lalo Schifrin, one of Hollywood's pre-eminent composers since his rise to prominence in the 1960s, passed away on June 26, 2025 due to complications from pneumonia. He was 93 years old. Lalo Schifrin is well known as the original composer for the iconic Mission: Impossible theme that originally served as the intro to the 1966 television series that kickstarted the franchise. Mission: Impossible would eventually see a revival, first as a 1988 series, and subsequently as a blockbuster film franchise starring Tom Cruise that's still running strong. Lalo Schifrin is survived by his wife Donna, and the couple's three children. Lalo Schifrin was the acclaimed composer for Mission: Impossible Lalo Schifrin cemented his place in Hollywood pop culture with his work on the original Mission: Impossible television series, which first premiered on CBS in 1966. Aside from that, Schifrin has also worked on the films Cool Hand Luke (1967), Clint Eastwood's Dirty Harry films, and Bruce Lee's iconic action flick Enter the Dragon (1973).
San Francisco Chronicle
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Lalo Schifrin, composer behind ‘Bullitt' and ‘Dirty Harry,' dies at 93
Lalo Schifrin, the trailblazing composer whose music helped define the sound of 1970s action cinema and turned San Francisco into a sonic landmark for filmgoers around the world, died Thursday of complications from pneumonia. He was 93. Schifrin's jazz-inflected, rhythmically daring scores for Steve McQueen's 'Bullitt' (1968) and Clint Eastwood's 'Dirty Harry' (1971) helped establish the musical identities of two of the most iconic films ever set in the Bay Area. He was also hand-picked by Bruce Lee to score his final film, 'Enter the Dragon' (1973). With a deft mix of suspense, funk and atmospheric cool, Schifrin's work elevated car chases down Potrero Hill and showdowns at Aquatic Park into unforgettable cinematic moments. 'Everybody tells me how great the music for the chase in 'Bullitt' is,' Schifrin told The Chronicle in a 2003 interview. 'I didn't do any music for the chase. Four minutes before the chase, where there is a foot chase in the hospital, I build and build the suspense and the tension. And finally, when Steve McQueen finds a way to get to the freeway, at that moment the music stops suddenly. I told the director it would be a mistake to continue the music on the chase. The audience should hear the sounds of the cars, so they know whether the villain or 'Bullitt' is coming. You know what? It worked.' Born Boris Claudio Schifrin in Buenos Aires in 1932, he trained in classical composition at the Paris Conservatory under Olivier Messiaen while moonlighting in jazz clubs. He emigrated to the U.S. after a serendipitous encounter with Dizzy Gillespie, eventually becoming his pianist and arranger. That genre-crossing instinct became the hallmark of his scoring career. In Hollywood, Schifrin's fusion of jazz, Latin rhythms and experimental time signatures made him one of the most distinctive composers of the late 20th century. Schifrin received six Academy Award nominations over his career, including Best Original Score nods for 'Cool Hand Luke' (1967), 'The Fox' (1968), 'Voyage of the Damned' (1976), 'The Amityville Horror' (1979) and 'The Sting II' (1983). He also earned a nomination for Best Original Song for 'People Alone' from 'The Competition' (1980). 'He really was such a genius at combining rhythm, texture, instrumentation and melody in such a powerful and unique way,' Daniel Pemberton, an English composer who wrote the score for the film 'Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,' wrote on X. His theme for the 'Mission: Impossible' television show — composed in 5/4 time and famously written in just three minutes — became a pop culture staple, earning him Grammy Awards and renewed fame with the Tom Cruise film franchise that launched in 1996. Schifrin applauded you artists who sampled his work, most notably Portishead, who sampled the main riff from 'Danube Incident' for its 1994 hit 'Sour Times.' 'These young people are rediscovering my music and using it in their own way,' he told The Chronicle. 'It's almost like a bridge to a younger generation. It rejuvenates me. The same thing happens with the fact that the two 'Mission: Impossible' movies made people rediscover that theme. That is a very positive sign. I'm not a purist. I'm very far from being a purist.'
