Search - Henry Mancini :: Mancini 67

Mancini jazz style

Henry Cooper | Atlanta, GA | 06/28/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This was also one of my favorite jazz albums and also a big one from the man himself. Mancini sure has a way of creating alot of arrangements and alot of remakes (i.e. old songs, pop, jazz, R&B, rock, Latin, classical). He sure puts it down w/ a live big band on 1 album. This is actually the first album I got introuduced by Mancini back then when I was like 'round my early childhood maybe 10 or 11. 'Nuff said. I still own this on vinyl but maybe catch it on CD and cassette also (if they have 1 available, probably go to gemm.com to lookup 4 that). But the other jazz albums THE BLUES AND THE BEAT, UNIQUELY MANCINI, MUSIC FROM PETER GUNN, MORE MUSIC FROM PETER GUNN, among others were outstanding but this 1 is bad and really 4 must-have jazz lovers and/or devotees to Duke Ellington, Quincy Jones, Frank Sinatra, Al Hirt, Lionel Hampton, Woody Herman, Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, Neal Hefti, Bert Kamepfert, Lawrence Welk, Miles Davis and Gil Evans collabos, Bird, Trane, among others. I'm blessed to have this and it'll would go on thru my record collection 4ever. I luv it so much. Mancini's my man to date and truly a standard, a hero, a role model and mostly my all-time favorite composer."

"Big band plus" from the master arranger

James A. Vedda | Alexandria, VA USA | 03/02/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Mancini treats us to his skillful handling of an expanded big band, which includes the usual instrumentation plus four French horns, extra percussion, vibes, and some prolific doubling in the sax section on piccolos, flutes, alto flutes, and bass flutes. There are some great arrangements of standards, including "Satin Doll," "Cherokee," "Autumn Nocturne," "The Shadow of Your Smile" (a trombone feature for Dick Nash), and "Round Midnight." A couple of my favorites are Ronny Lang's baritone sax feature "Stolen Sweets" and the Quincy Jones tune "Stockholm Sweetnin'." Check out the flute scoring on that last one. Throughout the album, Mancini's unmistakable style is evident in his writing for the French horns, his use of the lower flutes, and a tasteful dash of muted brass.

Four of the tracks seem like unusual choices for a big band album. Two of them actually come across well, a tribute to his genius as an arranger: Alfred Newman's "Conquest," which is taken from a movie score, and the folk/rock tune "The House of the Rising Sun." The other two sound dated, even corny: "Tijuana Taxi" and Mancini's own composition "Turtles." Oh well, nobody's perfect.

For those who recognize 1960s-era jazz artists, there are many familiar names in this ensemble: Al Porcino, Pete Candoli, Jack Sheldon, and Bud Brisbois on trumpet; Dick Nash and George Roberts on trombone; Ronny Lang, Ted Nash, and Plas Johnson in the sax section; and Ray Brown on bass. The original liner notes by Leonard Feather are reproduced in the accompanying booklet.

This CD is a must for Mancini fans, and should be of interest to all who enjoy big band music from this era."

The house rocks

Skip Bicknese | Ontario, Or. USA | 07/08/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"No one uses alto flutes any better than Mr. Mancini. Take Plas Johnson, alto flutes and a simple song, "House of the Rising Sun" and watch it simmer, then boil!! Now add Stolen Sweets, Satin Doll, Cherokee, Stockholm Sweetin', Autumn Nocturne, and 'Round Midnight and what a 5 star album. The Cat, Tijuana Taxi, makes it fun, but costs a star. This album needs to be in any arranger's collection because of the contrasting styles utilized. By Skip Bicknese"