Phil Woods and Carl Saunders Play Henry Mancini

Phil Woods | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 13, 2004)
• Original Release Date: February 13, 2004
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Jazzed Media
• ASIN: B0001I9W5U
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #237,413 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

About the Artist

"Even more than nine years after his death, Henry Mancini is the most famous of all film composers. His film writing was jazz-oriented without being jazz, and his arrangements were both subservient to a movie’s story (as all scores must be) and strong enough to stand on their own apart from the picture." "One of the all-time great alto-saxophonists and a major force in the jazz scene since at least 1954, Phil Woods is not only one of the masters of bebop but a musician who through the years has extended the idiom through his personal voice, inventive repertoire and inspired settings." "Carl Saunders is not as world famous yet due to his valuable but underrated work as a lead trumpeter in big bands and being based in Los Angeles. But his playing on his three solo albums and the Jazzed Media CD "Phil Urso and Carl Saunders Salute Chet Baker" show just how tremendous a trumpeter he is, ranking near the top of his field." "Listeners will have no difficulty having fun listening to the infectious performances on one of the finest jazz tributes to the music of Henry Mancini." Scott Yanow, Author of eight jazz books including Trumpet Kings, Jazz On Record 1917-76, Bebop, Swing and Afro-Cuban Jazz

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Full of Jazz Joy and Adventure, February 4, 2005

By 

John Tapscott (Canada) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Phil Woods and Carl Saunders Play Henry Mancini (Audio CD)

Having enjoyed Phil Woods' recent CD, "Here's to Quincy" on Jazzed Media, I made haste to buy Phil's earlier release "Phil Woods and Carl Saunders Play Henry Mancini" on the same label.

This is a matter of personal taste, but I think I enjoy this CD even more (and that's not to say anything negative about "Here's to Quincy"). From beginning to end, this CD bubbles over with a sense of playfulness and joyful adventure which is most appealing. The rapport between altoist Woods and trumpeter Saunders is so close you'd swear they'd been playing together for years, though this was their first studio meeting. These guys are the essence of jazz maturity, both in ensemble playing and in making personal solo statements at every tempo. Their ballad solos on this CD are especially deep and moving.

Mancini's compositions have appealed to jazz improvisors for a long time and no one should think that they are too lightweight to carry a 75 minute program. On this CD we are treated to familiar fare such as "The Pink Panther," "Dreamsville", and "Mr. Lucky", plus some lesser-known Mancini tunes.

It is perhaps rather unusual for a quintet session, but here the arrangers for each selection are listed. There are six different arrangers and this, combined with Mancini's strong compositions and the personal interpretations by the band, result in a great deal of musical variety. In the first six tracks, we get a highly original version of "Panther"; the latin groove of "Lightly"; the bluesy "Walkin' Bass"; the lovely ballad, "Soldier in the Rain"; the medium tempo, stop and go "Free and Easy" and the uptempo and hard driving "Fallout."

"Free and Easy" is one of the tracks which includes a nice passage of interplay between Woods and Saunders. Another such track is the closing ballad, "Two For the Road," one of the CD's highlights. "Fallout" has some exciting exchanges between the front-liners. Furthermore, they don't always play the "heads" of the tunes in unison, but in interweaving lines, which again, is somewhat unusual for a quintet album.

The rhythm section consists of pianist Jeff Jenkins, bassist Ken Walker, and drummer Paul Romaine who support and swing this music as well as anyone could. They contribute fine solos, as well.

Hats off to Phil, Carl, and producer Graham Carter for an excellent and well-recorded session which will bring much enjoyment to fans of bop based, swinging jazz. Highly recommended.

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Jazz, September 10, 2008

By 

Biff the Buff (Gulf Breeze, FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Phil Woods and Carl Saunders Play Henry Mancini (Audio CD)

I first became acquainted with Carl Saunders when I purchased the Phil Urso collaboration and again am extremely pleased with this music. It is genuine swinging jazz. The Mancini selections are all choice and treated with obvious respect by Saunders and Woods. The rhythm section of Jeff Jenkins, Ken Walker and Paul Romaine keep the whole thing tied together in a neat package. But, Carl Saunders is the star on this CD. He obviously is an exceptional musician and can flat out play the trumpet as well as anyone I've ever heard including Clifford Brown. Phil Woods as usual is solid. Ken Walker's bass lines pay homage to Rolly Bundock and I thank him for that. Excellent CD.