{"id":10286,"date":"2014-12-15T00:36:29","date_gmt":"2014-12-15T05:36:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/?p=10286"},"modified":"2014-12-15T00:38:59","modified_gmt":"2014-12-15T05:38:59","slug":"cd-che-1969","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/?p=10286","title":{"rendered":"CD: Che! (1969)"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\"Che_CD\"<\/a>Score<\/strong>: Excellent<\/p>\n

Label<\/strong>: Aleph Records<\/p>\n

Released:<\/strong> \u00a01998<\/span><\/p>\n

Tracks \/ Album Length:<\/strong> \u00a016 tracks \/ (45:58)<\/p>\n

Composer:<\/strong> Lalo Schifrin<\/p>\n

Special Notes:<\/strong>\u00a0 Includes colour booklet.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Review:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Even though Fox\u2019s Che!<\/strong> was a cash-in biopic \u2013 the film was released roughly two years after Che Guevara\u2019s death \u2013 Lalo Schifrin approached the project as a golden opportunity to apply his musicological interests to the rhythms of Latin America.<\/p>\n

The film soundtrack is more restrained in instrumentation, and parts suffer from edits designed to tightened the film to its rather short 90 mins., but the soundtrack album is another creature, offering richer and longer rerecorded versions, plus a few source songs heard briefly in the film.<\/p>\n

Originally released on Bill Cosby\u2019s short-lived Tetragrammaton Records and later reissued by AEI records, Che!<\/strong> never sounded great \u2013 why the recording is so poor remains a mystery \u2013 because although in true stereo, there\u2019s a shrill distortion in high notes, and an overall dryness that robs the music of its incredible colour.<\/p>\n

Twilight Time\u2019s DVD isolates the film soundtrack in an isolated mono music track with characteristic edits and fades, so there\u2019s no ideal presentation of Schifrin\u2019s music. Even the composer\u2019s own reissue of the rerecorded score on his Aleph CD label featured most but not all of the LP cues, and while the sound quality is considerably improved, it\u2019s still a dry sounding album (newly recorded cues excepted).<\/p>\n

Even if the music could be rerecorded, the energy level would be different because of the incredible talent involved in the score\u2019s performance, especially the lavish percussionists handling an exotic array of Latin and African instruments; the best solution is a fantasy hybrid album that re-sequences the LP and CD tracks to something more fluid, and more faithful to the film\u2019s narrative.<\/p>\n

Che<\/strong>\u2019s main theme is a lament which evokes a fallen heroic figure as Che Guevara\u2019s body is seen reposed on a long table in the film. The LP version blends orchestra with native percussion and woodwinds, but it\u2019s not a grandiose piece: groups of instruments slowly drift forward, adding a little more colour to the theme, and a warm bass line adds a little groove to the cue, but it remains a somber piece for the charismatic figure whose final years were devoted to agitating uprisings in neighbouring Latin American countries like Bolivia. The slow tempo is contrasted with some flowing strings, whereas the woodwinds chosen by Schifrin allude to Guevara\u2019s Argentine roots and death in the Bolivian mountains.<\/p>\n

The track \u201cLa Columna\u201d follows the gathering of revolutionaries as they trek towards Havana, pushing forward in a wave of excitement. Schifrin begins the cue with African percussions in a lengthy intro before introducing strings and a variation of his main theme, with stirring harmonics and rhythmic accents on piano.<\/p>\n

The theme next variation is among the score\u2019s highlights \u2013 a gorgeous rendition performed exclusively on native instruments, with woody percussion claps and backbeats, light yet militarily precise drum hits, and ethnic woodwinds, while acoustic guitars strum heavily on opposites sides of the stereo spectrum. Also potent is \u201cCharangos\u201d with full orchestra and massive percussion which support some short but intense solos on piano and flute.<\/p>\n

The mostly intimate \u201cLa Ruta\u201d is designed to showcase piano, although there\u2019s a midsection where strings luxuriously swell with warm tones. Schifrin\u2019s use of low, breathy flutes adds subtext to the film\u2019s first half in which tired revolutionaries struggle to survive within Cuba\u2019s mountains, plotting strikes while morale wavers among the rank and file. It\u2019s a simple cue that\u2019s fully evocative of the men\u2019s difficulties in staying disciplined, focused, and balancing tough political and social goals while longing for the comfort of their past lives in more placid, bourgeois surroundings (symbolized by the heavy strings). \u201cLos Andes\u201d is another cue light dance cue with flute and slight piano accompaniment, and is exclusive to the Aleph CD.<\/p>\n

Unique to the AEI LP is the vocal \u201cTiempo Pasada,\u201d a great song with a supporting male chorus with sparse instrumentation, and lovely rhythmic textures typical of the Cuban son<\/em>. Also exclusive to the LP is a solo guitar version of the \u201cChe\u201d theme which is close to the version heard over the Main Titles. Slow, somber, and free from a fixed tempo, Schifrin\u2019s acoustic version is a perfect summation of the controversial historical figure whose deeds were recorded in the history books, but not the fire that fueled his ambition. Schifrin recorded a new version for the Aleph CD featuring guitar, piano, and slight percussion that extends the theme\u2019s melody to a meaty 6 mins.<\/p>\n

Also exclusive to the CD is \u201cLos Olvidados,\u201d one of the newly recorded pieces which features two guitarists, sparse vocals, and intricately performed melodic material and rhythmic patterns. \u201cTango\u201d is another CD-only track performed on guitar, as is \u201cMalambo\u201d with lively performances by dual guitarists, whereas the guitarists extract tender elements buried within the Che theme in the gently flowing \u201cLa Ultima Careta.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLos Andes\u201d combines orchestra with ethnic woodwinds and while nice, feels a bit sudden on the Aleph CD, switching from the older, cruder recordings to a more pristine version with significantly different instrumentation. (Perhaps the cue was written for but never used in the completed score.)<\/p>\n

Source cues include the Latin jazz \u201cFiesta Numero Uno\u201d with trumpet, elliptical piano figures, and metallic percussion dominating this gyrating tune; and \u201cFiesta Numero Dos\u201d is sly, alluring, yet more celebratory with flute and trumpets giving the theme variation a cantina sound. \u201cLa Barraca\u201d is a more intimate piece with danceable rhythms, and features a great midsection where Schifrin\u2019s piano seems to spiral endlessly.<\/p>\n

Music rights may have prevented Schifrin from porting over all of the original LP tracks to his Aleph CD, but at least fans have cleaner versions of most cues with improved instrumental details and less high-end distortion. The newly recorded guitar material also feels more complete \u2013 they\u2019re versions with full intros, middles, and finales, whereas some of the LP\u2019s best cues \u2013 especially \u201cCharangos\u201d \u2013 fade away after hooking the listener with its magnetic offering of percussion textures and jazzy improv.<\/p>\n

If Che<\/strong>\u2019s ever re-recorded again, Schifrin has more than enough material to create a lengthy series of suites for jazz orchestra and Latin percussion. Now that would be a dream album.<\/em><\/p>\n

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\u00a9 2014 Mark R. Hasan<\/p>\n

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Additional Links:<\/strong>
\nEditor’s Blog<\/a> — Composer on IMDB<\/a> \u00a0— \u00a0Composer Filmography<\/a> —\u00a0 Soundtrack Album<\/a> \u00a0— \u00a0Film Review<\/a>
\n\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Select Merchants:<\/strong>
\nAmazon.ca<\/a>\"\" —<\/span> Amazon.com<\/a>\"\" —<\/span> Amazon.co.uk<\/a>\"\" —\u00a0BSX<\/a> —\u00a0Intrada<\/a> —\u00a0Screen Archives Entertainment<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Even though Fox\u2019s Che! was a cash-in biopic \u2013 the film was released roughly two years after Che Guevara\u2019s death \u2013 Lalo Schifrin approached the project as a golden opportunity to apply his musicological interests to the rhythms of Latin America…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[20],"tags":[3212,51],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8nuyW-2FU","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10286"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10286"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10286\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10306,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10286\/revisions\/10306"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10286"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10286"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10286"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}