Customer Reviews

Ultimate Mancini

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This new 2004 album is amazing. These brand new recordings are first rate. "Pink Panther" has rarely sounded better, and "Moon River" is given an absolutely beautiful treatment by Take 6 and Stevie Wonder on Harmonica.

Monica Mancini performs on some of the tracks and her vocals are excellent. This is a vast improvement over her first album. Her duet with Kenny Rankin on "Dreamsville" is especially wonderful.

Included is a beautiful instrumental of "Life in a Looking Glass" from the motion picture "That's Life". It then goes into a nice vocal of "Crazy World" from Victor/Victoria and then "It's Easy to Say" from "10".

The cover picture features the new April 2004 Henry Mancini tribute postage stamp. You will not be sorry if you purchase this CD. It's a winner.

I happen to see Monica Mancini on Regis and Kelly and immediately purchased Ultimate Mancini. What a beautifully realised recording.

Henry Mancini brought us such amazing music and though it can't all be on one CD, the song choices and balance between vocals and instrumentals I found to be perfect. And speaking of vocals, with this recording Ms. Mancini establishes herself as the preeminent interpreter of her father's music as well as one of the best vocalists in this genre. Days of Wine and Roses and Dear Heart are in my opinion the definitive versions of these songs. In fact a number of theses performances are becoming my favorite.
The CD begins with the Pink Panther and features the original sax player from the first recording adding organist Joey DeFrancesco and vibraphonist Gary Burton.
There are also a number of suprises not the least of which is Stevie Wonder's soulful Harmonica on Moon River. How interesting it is to hear he and Take 6's contemporary treatment blend perfectly with Mancini's arrangement. I also loved saxophonist Tom Scott's funky Peter Gunn and Kenny Rankin's duet on Dreamsville.

I must also mention the actual recording quality. This CD SOUNDS great! The CD booklet mentions a future SACD release and it's enough to get me to purchase a player.

If the people who give out Grammys know what they are doing, Ultimate Mancini should be in the running for Album of the Year...

The songs of Hanry Mancini are indelibly etched in our minds- there isn't a lot to say about the tunes themselves. As you listen to 'Moon River' for the umpteen-thoudsandth time you must ask "Can his reording bring me any new perspective on the music?" The Ultimate Mancini answers with a resounding "Yes!"

The way the musicians have interpreted the songs may be charcterized as an all-out frontal attack. They give it all they've got, obviously they were turned-on and loving the experience. The sound is crisp and beautiful, the recording state-of-the-art, and the production flawless. The sound has the kind of bite you get actually sitting in a big band; it makes the decades-old soundtracks or other recordings of Mancini's stuff sound muffled and weak by comparison. You won't be disapointed with this disc.

This is a truly beautiful project seen to fruition by the composer's daughter who has a remarkable singing voice and a great ear for arrangements. Apparently talent runs in the Mancini family with the ease of a deep running stream. Nice, faithful interpretations of the "Pink Panther Theme" and "Peter Gunn" are present, as well as a lovely performance of "Moon River" by Stevie Wonder and Take 6. Joey De Francesco also contributes his organ virtuoso on "Mr. Lucky." My very favorite thing on here is the theme from the Audry Hepburn and Albert Finney film, "Two for the Road," which I didn't even know had lyrics until I heard Monica's beautiful interpretation of it. Also of note is her exceptional performance on "The Days of Wine and Roses."

I only have one complaint about this cd, however, and that's how boring and lifeless the tracks become toward the end. After "Mr. Lucky," things get a bit draggy and dull. That point aside, please pick this album up if you love Mancini's compositions, because it is mostly tasteful and elegant. There is also a lovely photo on the back cover of Monica and Henry together, so you get an idea that his music is in the right hands. Without a doubt, it is.

I've already bought this brand new Monica Mancini's CD revisiting some of the best gems Henry Mancini has made for the movie lovers all over the world.
I loved the new Moon River's arrangement featuring the beautiful harmonica by the great Stevie Wonder. Two best tracks for me are the refresh arrangement for "Charade" (with full orchestra!!) and a rare gift for us: "Life In A Looking Glass" previously unreleased song from the "That's Life" movie directed by Blake Edwards. The piano solos by Michael Lang on this track were simply beautiful!!
This is a must-have CD for anyone who loves good film music. Henry Mancini is one of the best of America's Film Composers of all time.
You should try it...

Carlos Emmerich
(São Paulo, Brazil).

It's hard to believe that nearly 10 years have come and gone since we lost the great Henry Mancini. Thank you, Concord Jazz, for keeping his music alive with this first-rate collection of his greatest songs.

The "Pink Panther" theme never sounded better, thanks to the contributions of Plas Johnson and Joey DeFrancesco, who also does a fine job on "Mr. Lucky." "Moon River" gets new life from Stevie Wonder and Take 6's beautiful interpretation. Tom Scott was perfect for the "Peter Gunn" theme, and Monica Mancini (Hank's talented daughter) did an amazing job in creating new recordings of several tunes from her self-titled debut CD.

Kudos to Patrick Williams for his wonderful arrangements (staying true to Mancini's original ideas), and to Gregg Field for his first-rate producing skills. The cover (which, by the way, is a reproduction of the commemorative stamp issued by the US Postal Service) is on the money.

Some years ago Mr. Mancini recored some CDs in Dolby Stereo. ...so it is very fitting that a tribute album to him be in multichannel SACD.

His daughter Monica and the other talented artists have made an album the way Mancini himself would have done it - elegant and sophisticated.

Henry Mancini is my favorite movie and tv music composer.
How privileged I was to meet him in person back in the summer
of 1989 at a special ASCAP function. AND now his daughter has
assembled a terrific group of artists to bring a fresh new sound
to her father's classic hits. Super Audio is the ONLY way to really
enjoy the surround sound experience of these recordings.
Monica has a beautiful voice. And what a treat to have Plas Johnson
redo his original version of the Pink Panther theme.
WONDERFUL!! BUY IT IN Super Audio!!!!!!

I've only played this in my Walkman with the headphones so far and the recorded sound quality is just excellent, some of the best sonics I've heard on a disc - and I'm just talking about the CD layer - I can only imagine what the hi-rez version sounds like. As for the music, the special guest appearance by Stevie Wonder on harmonica and backing vocals by Take 6 on "Moon River" is a major high point on this collection (it nearly made my eyes water - just beautiful). Also, "The Pink Panther Theme" is pretty much as good as the original version with the original sax man reprising his performance - great job, Plas! If you're a fan of Mancini's music, this collection is pretty much essential or if you're looking for a good title to get into 5.1 surround music, you could do a whole lot worse than this hybrid SACD disc. One minor complaint: there are too many tracks here by Monica Mancini. Although she's a really great jazz-styled vocalist, I found myself skipping her tracks before they were finished. Overall, though, I highly recommend this disc for those who love high resolution, well-recorded audio along with the bonus of classy, timeless movie music true to the original arrangements/spirit of Mr. Mancini.

(skip to paragraph three to skip incomprehensible ramblings)

I bought this disc on line not knowing they were re-recorded versions. Re-records thrill me about as much as reading Andrew McCarthy's autobiography. I'm not blaming any one person for creating Andrew's star stature as we're all responsible. If we didn't lay down our money at the box office we are at least guilty of standing by doing nothing while he was showered with wealth and adoration simply for standing in front of a camera and mouthing the words of other truly underwhelming scripts like Weekend at Bernie's and it's unfortunate sequel, the ingeniously title Weekend at Bernie's 2.

Sorry, but if I don't finish my thoughts my I tend to ramble on about random yet meaningless dribble.

Anyway, I listened to the Mancini disc (skipping the tracks sung by the well meaning but somewhat under pitched daughter bringing back memories of Natalie Cole's nasal renderings of once great songs) and was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. The recording is top notch as are the performances. Al Schmitt did the recordings. He's still one of the best, IMHO.

Track one (Pink Panther Theme) is so big sounding. I haven't heard the 5.1 mixes (also done by Schmitt) as my surround speakers are pulling duty at the studio. This disc sounds wonderful on any system I play it on, my car, the studio, at home, in the bathroom intercom, etc...

Highly suggested SACD.

(Sorry for the ramblings. I'm trying to fight off my insomnia with some nice sleep deprivation. Starve a cold: