Henry Mancini Gunn

One of the most versatile talents in contemporary 20th Century music, Henry Mancini was arguably America's greatest composer, conductor and arranger. Although he is nowadays perhaps best remembered for big selling LPs of movie and TV scores, he also enjoyed a parallel series of hit singles, only some of which were spun off his albums. This 30 track compilation is drawn from his singles releases between 1956-62 and includes his hits "Mr Lucky", "High Time", "Theme From The Great Imposter", "Moon River", "Experiment In Terror", "Theme From Hatari" and "Days Of Wine And Roses". Also included are Mancini's original, career defining recordings of tunes like "Tana's Theme" (from "Touch Of Evil"), "The Peter Gunn Theme" and "Breakfast At Tiffany's". Several of his early singles, notably "Cha Cha Cha For Gia" (from Four Girls In Town) and "Big Band Rock And Roll" b/w "Hot Rod" (from Rock Pretty Baby) are unavailable elsewhere on CD.

Two cool Henry Mancini album – one soundtrack, and one sweet set of instrumentals! Return Of The Pink Panther is a surprisingly groovy record – and one that's very different from the original Pink Panther soundtrack. Symphonic Soul is one of Henry Mancini's grooviest LPs from the 70s – a mixture of tight large arrangements with a smooth funky edge, similar to some of his best soundtrack work at the time. The rhythm section is great – with Harvey Mason on drums and Joe Sample on keyboards, and guitar by David T Walker and Dennis Budimir – and the album also features some cool solos on instruments like African finger piano and piccolo trumpet.

This wide-ranging project features new versions of many of Henry Mancini's best-known soundtrack compositions in celebration of what would have been his 100th birthday. Mancini was nothing if not supremely adaptable in his music and television score work. He composed slinky, seductive private eye music like his footfall theme to the television series Peter Gunn, which is here given a jazzy, funky treatment courtesy of Quincy Jones, John Williams, Herbie Hancock and Arturo Sandoval. His supremely cool-tempoed title theme for Blake Edwards' 1963 comedy The Pink Panther is perhaps the most famous example of Mancini's pioneering incorporation of jazz into film music. The imaginative combo of Lizzo and Sir James Galway, both playing flute, team with a brassy studio band for a version that adheres to the contours of the original. Snarky Puppy take the most stylistic liberties, turning "Baby Elephant Walk," composed for 1962's Hatari, into a jazz funk explosion.

This wide-ranging project features new versions of many of Henry Mancini's best-known soundtrack compositions in celebration of what would have been his 100th birthday. Mancini was nothing if not supremely adaptable in his music and television score work. He composed slinky, seductive private eye music like his footfall theme to the television series Peter Gunn, which is here given a jazzy, funky treatment courtesy of Quincy Jones, John Williams, Herbie Hancock and Arturo Sandoval. His supremely cool-tempoed title theme for Blake Edwards' 1963 comedy The Pink Panther is perhaps the most famous example of Mancini's pioneering incorporation of jazz into film music. The imaginative combo of Lizzo and Sir James Galway, both playing flute, team with a brassy studio band for a version that adheres to the contours of the original. Snarky Puppy take the most stylistic liberties, turning "Baby Elephant Walk," composed for 1962's Hatari, into a jazz funk explosion.

This wide-ranging project features new versions of many of Henry Mancini's best-known soundtrack compositions in celebration of what would have been his 100th birthday. Mancini was nothing if not supremely adaptable in his music and television score work. He composed slinky, seductive private eye music like his footfall theme to the television series Peter Gunn, which is here given a jazzy, funky treatment courtesy of Quincy Jones, John Williams, Herbie Hancock and Arturo Sandoval. His supremely cool-tempoed title theme for Blake Edwards' 1963 comedy The Pink Panther is perhaps the most famous example of Mancini's pioneering incorporation of jazz into film music. The imaginative combo of Lizzo and Sir James Galway, both playing flute, team with a brassy studio band for a version that adheres to the contours of the original. Snarky Puppy take the most stylistic liberties, turning "Baby Elephant Walk," composed for 1962's Hatari, into a jazz funk explosion.

If the recognition of one's peers is the true measure of success, then few men are as successful as composer, arranger, and conductor Henry Mancini. In a career that spanned 40 years, writing for film and television, Mancini won four Oscars and twenty Grammys, the all-time record for a pop artist. For 1961's Breakfast at Tiffany's alone, Mancini won five Grammys and two Oscars. Breakfast at Tiffany's includes the classic "Moon River" (lyrics by Johnny Mercer), arguably one of the finest pop songs of the last 50 years.