The super-sound of Henry Mancini, served up here in a special SACD set! The first half of the package features cuts from two different RCA albums that collect together some of the best of Mancini's music from the 60s – key soundtrack numbers and other instrumentals – in a lineup of tracks that includes "Charade", "Hatari", "Peter Gunn", "Lujon", "Breakfast At Tiffany's", "The Brothers Go To Mothers", "Pink Panther", "Dear Heart", "Cheers", and "Baby Elephant Walk". Concert Sound has Mancini working with larger orchestrations than usual, in an expansion of his usual 60s groove! The tracks here are all somewhat long – suite-type numbers made up from smaller songs wrapped together in new Mancini arrangements that have a really cool feel in this setting! The orchestra is somewhat large, with strings and woodwinds – but in true Mancini fashion, there's also key solos from players who include Pete Candoli and Conrad Gozzo on trumpet, Dick Nash on trombone, Ted Nash on alto sax, and Jimmy Rowles on piano. Titles include "Peter Gunn Meets Mr Lucky", "The Music Of David Rose", "Academy Award Selections", and "A Tribute To Victor Young". Mancini Salutes
Sousa is a very weird one – as Henry Mancini pays tribute to the work of John Philip
Sousa! As you'd expect from
Sousa's marches, most of the work has a parade band military sound – and Mancini, despite his grooviness, hardly breaks format to change the style of the work. The approach has touches of some of Mancini's more military soundtrack work – and the recording quality definitely has a classic Hollywood approach – but overall, it's still
Sousa. Titles include "The Gladiator", "Washington Post", "National Fencibles", "The Thunderer", and "Drum Corps". CD set also features the rare bonus track "Man Of The World" – originally only on a 7" single!