With six Oscars and five Grammys to his name, Lalo Schifrin is a veteran Argentine pianist and composer whose music has stretched far beyond his native country's borders. It was at the age of 20 that Schifrin decided to fully focus on music, attending the Conservatoire de Paris and playing in the city's clubs by night, notably alongside his fellow countryman, legendary bandoneonist Astor Piazzolla. He got his big break in jazz while still in his 20s, where he impressed Dizzy Gillespie enough to commission an extended work for his big band. This led to work with Duke Ellington and Schrifin made his name on the American scene before going on to conquer the world of movie scores for several decades.