Cinema Mancini

Spaceagepop: Mancini said “I once referred to the music department at Universal as a salt mine….Being on staff there I was called upon to do everything. I mean, everything. Whenever they needed a piece of source music, music that comes from a source in the picture, such as a band, a jukebox, or a radio, they would call me in. ….I guess in every business you have to learn the routine–in film scoring, the cliches…”.

bjbear71.com : From Philadelphia, Allan Waterhouse, a long time fan writes a long letter to “Hank”, his idol and sends it with a memoir and some music he has recorded. He sounds like he had a difficult time reaching Mancini “I know that you appreciate your privacy and wish to be inaccessible to the public, but this is frustrating”. Mancini writes back “Dean Allan, Your persistence has finally paid off. …Sorry it took so long to get to me. I know it is a little late to tell you this, but I am listed in the Los Angeles phone book”. (Duh!)

Swingmusic.net : Although much of Ray Anthony’s output is considered commercial (or as Down Beat magazine in the 40’s would have called it “corn”) he has cut several records that swing heartily. These recordings sound so dissimilar from his usual output it is hard to believe it could be the same musician.

About.com : Johnny Hartman distinguished himself from the majority of jazz singers in the 1950s by rejecting conventions such as scat singing and modifying standard songs. He prided himself on staying close to original melodies, allowing the lyrics to guide his musical interpretation. Some argue that for this reason, Hartman’s potential was squelched by promoters who weren’t interested in supporting a black musician who sounded thoughtful, intelligent, and romantic.

Keyboardchat.com : Klaus Wunderlich dismissed his talent as nothing out of the ordinary and when it came to the art of making recordings said that anyone could learn to do what he did, including the multi-tracking. The fact that he had 13 gold discs and a gold cassette to his credit did not reflect in his apparently modest opinion of himself. He regarded his music from his younger years as being in the past, it was the present that only mattered to him.

Plas Johnson : Plas has been one of the most well-known and sought-after musicians around the California studio scene. He joined “The Merv Griffin Show” band, led by Mort Lindsey, in 1970, where he remained for the next fifteen years, joining an all-star line-up which also included such prominent instrumentalists as Ray Brown, Herb Ellis, Jake Hanna, Benny Powell, Jack Sheldon, Kai Winding and others.

The Jazz Crusaders on The Hard Bop Homepage : “We sat down for a few meetings; we were going to do a reunion,” recounts Wayne Henderson from his L.A. home. “But Joe (Sample)’s career has taken off and he’s just been very, very busy and Stix (Hooper), I think, was managing Ernestine Anderson and serving with NARAS . . . so I said, ‘Wilton, it’s hard to catch up with the cats, let’s hit'”

Amazon : Sarah Vaughan provides a stunning collection of some of Henry Mancini’s best-known compositions, all sung in lush, grand Sarah style. “Dreamsville” and “How Soon” are gorgeous ballads, “Moon River” has just the right amount of swing, and “Days of Wine and Roses” was never given a more beautiful treatment.

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