After scoring an unexpected high-profile success with the disco/jazz
fusion of Black Widow, Lalo Schifrin quickly recorded a follow-up album
in a similar vein. 1977's Towering Toccata replicates the elegant yet
dance-friendly style of Black Widow to the tee, right down to the
unconventional cover choices. The best of these is the title track, an
insistently rhythmic piece that transforms Bach's gothic-organ
extravaganza "Toccata and Prelude in F Minor" into a mid-tempo disco
workout that backs up Schifrin's jazzy explorations on the electric
piano and synthesizer with scratching rhythm guitar and a pronounced
dance beat. Other notable moments on this album include "Most Wanted
Theme," which is transformed from action-show theme music into a
symphonic funk workout, and "Rollercoaster," a funky vamp from the
Schifrin soundtrack of the same name that is ideally suited for Towering
Toccata's disco/jazz mindset. There is even another monster-movie theme
cover in the vein of the previous album's "Jaws"; this time, it's a
disco-friendly treatment of John Barry's "Theme From King Kong" that
layers atmospheric horn and flute lines over a bottom-heavy rhythm
section fueled by wah-wah guitar and synth bass. However, other tracks
on Towering Toccata fail to be as distinctive or adventurous as these
highlights. For instance, the original tunes ("Macumba," "Midnight
Woman") fit the album's mood but are lacking strong hooks and memorable
twists in their arrangements that distinguished the originals on Black
Widow. This problem of inconsistent material, combined with the fact
that the album is basically a stylistic carbon copy of its predecessor,
means that it isn't the ideal follow-up to Black Widow that Schifrin
fans might have hoped for. That said, the album has enough strong tunes
and enough of a consistent sound to please hardcore Lalo Schifrin fans
and anyone who loved Black Widow. Donald A. Guarisco
Tracklist :
1 Towering Toccata 5:02
Soloist, Flute – Jeremy Steig
2 Frances' Theme 4:19
Flute – Jeremy Steig
3 Macumba 6:31
Drums [Dahka-de-bello] – Steve Gadd
Flute – Jeremy Steig
Soloist, Guitar – Eric Gale
4 Eagles In Love 2:49
Lalo Schifrin
5 Theme From King Kong 4:12
Soloist, Guitar – Eric Gale, John Tropea
6 Most Wanted Theme 2:42
Bass – Will Lee
Soloist, Violin [Vitar] – John Blair
7 Midnight Woman 6:09
Bass – Will Lee
Soloist, Flute – Joe Farrell
Soloist, Piano – Lalo Schifrin
8 Roller Coaster 4:48
Drums – Andrew Smith
Credits:
Alto Saxophone – Gerry Niewood
Baritone Saxophone – Ronnie Cuber
Bass – Anthony Jackson
Cello – Alan Shulman, Charles McCracken
Conductor, Arranged By – Lalo Schifrin
Drums – Steve Gadd
Flute – Dave Tofani, Lou Marini
Keyboards – Clark Spangler
Percussion – Don Armando Bonilla, Ralph MacDonald, Sue Evans
Producer – Creed Taylor
Saxophone – Dave Tofani
Tenor Saxophone – Lou Marini
Trombone – Urbie Green
Trumpet – Burt Collins, John Frosk, John Gatchell
Viola – Manny Vardi, Lamar Alsop
Violin
– Charles Libove, David Nadien, Emanuel Green, Marvin Morgenstern,
Matthew Raimondi, Max Ellen, Max Pollikoff, Paul Gershman
