Days Of Wine And Roses

“Honestly,” the new collaboration from Will St Peter, Steven Heffner, and Steve Barnes, exudes synergy, sensitivity, and vitality. Featuring compositions by St Peter alongside new arrangements of recognizable standards, “Honestly” puts on display what is possible when three friends gather to create in an environment of trust and vulnerability. In the space between their rendition of Mancini’s “Days of Wine and Roses” and St Peter’s tribute to his local “Windsor” community, the trio expresses themselves in the only way they know how: honestly.

Bennett, whose recorded legacy has been gathered in a 76-disc boxed set titled The Compete Collection, has been doing that for over 60 years: saving our souls with the greatest songs ever written. The Complete box is an absolute necessity, first because it contains several previously unreleased albums, like On the Glory Road and From This Moment On, a live concert taped in Las Vegas that collectors have been salivating over since 1964.

This single CD reissues all of the music from two rare Dizzy Gillespie LPs. Dating from 1963-64, the set features the trumpeter's interpretation of the score of the obscure film The Cool World (although these are not the actual performances heard in the movie) plus 11 themes from other films. Gillespie, who is joined by James Moody (on tenor, alto and flute), pianist Kenny Barron, bassist Chris White and drummer Rudy Collins, was in peak form during that era and hopefully all of his other Philips recordings will also be reissued by Verve in the future. Although the liner notes deal only with The Cool World, the other set is actually of greater interest. Gillespie uplifts such tunes as the "Theme from Exodus," "Moon River," "Days of Wine and Roses," "Never on Sunday" and "Walk on the Wild Side," turning them into swinging jazz. The Cool World pieces (all composed by Mal Waldron) are also worth hearing although they are not as memorable overall. This set is a real historical curiosity and, although not essential, it is a release that should please Dizzy Gillespie fans while reminding others of how great a trumpeter he was before his long decline.

This is another of Conniff's "two-fer" offerings that reflects great listening, featuring great variety in the song selections. Of course, "Somewhere My Love" is Ray's most successful recording ever, and one of my personal favorites of all time, "Three Coins in the Fountain," tops it off for me. For real variety, compare these selections to the lightheartedness of "King of the Road" and "Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport."

Henry Mancini Centennial is a celebration of the legendary Film Composer’s music on his 100th Anniversary. Featuring José María Moreno conducting Orquesta Filarmónica de Málaga on the IBS Classical label.