Henry Mancini - Music for Peter Gunn
by Harmonie Ensemble New York
Steven Richman
(Harmonia Mundi HMU 907624)
In 1958, the legendary composer/arranger Henry Mancini
electrified the world of television music with his
dynamic soundtrack for the detective series "Peter
Gunn." Not only did he introduce a compelling jazz
element into the genre, but he also created a context
for the symbiotic relationship between narrative action
and its aural environment. The Emmy-winning score - and
its double Grammy-awarded album - was performed by an
all-star ensemble of some of the West Coast jazz scene’s
finest musicians. Now, for the first time in more than
half a century, the Harmonie Ensemble/New York under the
direction of Grammy-nominated conductor Steven Richman
takes a new look at this iconic music in the new
Harmonia Mundi release "Music for Peter Gunn."
One of the most profound elements of the jazz tradition
is that the musicians’ pursuit of personal and singular
sounds allows each fresh interpretation of classic works
to have a new life of its own. The great orchestral
composers like Ellington, Strayhorn, Charles Mingus and
George Russell were able to perform the same
arrangements of their musical creations over and over,
creating entirely new versions freshly sculpted by the
personae of the musicians who played it. This recording
provides that same substance to these timeless original
Henry Mancini compositions and arrangements, proving
this music to be as vital and vibrant as it was more
than 50 years ago.
This is the twelfth album by Mr. Richman and the
Harmonie Ensemble/New York, and his third for Harmonia
Mundi, following up on 2010’s "Gershwin by Grofé" and
last year’s "Nutcracker Suites Tchaikovsky / Duke
Ellington & Billy Strayhorn." As with those two
outstanding and highly acclaimed albums, Mr. Richman has
assembled the ideal cast of musicians to interpret this
music, blending their superb command of ensemble playing
with brilliant soloing skills. His deep appreciation of
the music and commitment to the highest artistic ideals
created the fertile environment that makes this
recording so successful. A French horn player before he
devoted himself fully to conducting, Mr. Richman had the
opportunity to play with Henry Mancini many times. For
him, this was truly a labor of love.
“I grew up watching and listening to that great TV show.
Everyone knows the Peter Gunn theme but far fewer seem
to know there is about an hour and a half of gorgeous
music recycled in various forms throughout the show’s
three seasons. Even our musicians were in the dark about
this. They were happily surprised at the wonderful
music, so skillfully written and arranged. We were all
thrilled to play it.”
A key figure is pianist Lincoln Mayorga, who was
featured on the Gershwin by Grofé album and had played
for Mancini on some of the great composer’s road
trips. The remarkable tenor saxophonist and
flautist Lew Tabackin – whose presence was so vital to
the Nutcracker recording – anchors the highly impressive
reed section along with my dear friend Ronnie Cuber,
Mark Gross, Lawrence Feldman and Lino Gomez. The
eminent Lew Soloff heads a trumpet section of Stanton
Davis, Dominic Derasse and Joe Giorgianni; with a
trombone foursome of Larry Farrell, John Fedchock, Mark
Patterson and Frank Cohen. The French horns, so
essential to the sumptuous and mellifluous textures that
are so intrinsic to Mancini’s sound are played by RJ
Kelley, Alexandra Cook, Eric Davis and David Peel.
Much of the action in Peter Gunn took place in Mother’s,
the waterfront roadhouse that was both Gunn’s hangout
and meeting place. The five-piece group that
played there set the tone for a good deal of the show’s
music and therefore those musicians are of paramount
importance to this music. Joining Mayorga in the stellar
rhythm section are Bob Mann on guitar (whom I admire
since Astrud Gilberto's famous "Gilberto with
Turrentine" album for CTI), Christos Rafalides on vibes,
and the bass/drums tandem of Francois Moutin and Victor
Lewis.
Under Mr. Richman’s brilliant direction, this
exceptional group of musicians brings the perfect
combination of flawlessly tight ensemble playing with
the easygoing looseness and vivid spontaneity that makes
each solo shine brightly – and always in the proper
context, with no grandstanding or virtuosity for its own
sake. Although the music remains totally faithful to the
original arrangements, the vibrancy and immediacy of
today is fully evident.
Bob Mann’s guitar solos have a slightly rock-ish element
and the horn solos have a somewhat edgier quality. The
delivery of the written lines add a bit more soulfulness
to the soulful; bluesiness to the blue; and even a touch
more savagery to the drive. The two versions of
the immortal theme (my favorite versions, besides
Mancini's original take, have been the ones by Quincy
Jones and Eumir Deodato) that bookend the 16 tracks are
absolutely explosive – with the reprise opening up the
thematic structure and providing an opportunity for the
soloists to really strut their stuff.
This recording features all but one track from the first
Mancini Peter Gunn album, along with four tracks from
the second. One of these is "My Manne Shelly," a
dedication to the longtime Mancini collaborator and icon
of West Coast jazz, Shelly Manne (this tune was included
on the debut album of Eumir Deodato's legendary '60s
band Os Catedráticos, "Impulso!" recently reissued on CD
under the production of Jazz Station Blog's boss Arnaldo
DeSouteiro). Here Victor Lewis pays his own homage to
Shelly in the delightful call and response motif of the
piece, also highlighted by a burly baritone solo by
Cuber.
That small group roadhouse feel is offered in sublime
fashion with "The Floater," "A Profound Gass" and "Brief
and Breezy" – all evoking the fluid George Shearing
sound and featuring jaunty guitar and vibes solos. An
easy-swinging, hip groove – as suave and sophisticated
as the title character – is front and center with "Sorta
Blue" and "The Brothers Go to Mother’s."
Three ballads offer a romantic setting with the
appropriately named "Dreamsville" (Quincy Jones did my
favorite version ever!) fueled by guitar and alto; "Soft
Sounds," built on a slow walking bass; and "Blues for
Mother’s," marked by a deeply soulful alto sax. A
raunchier blues groove of the growling sort is the vibe
for the slow-boogie of "Spook" and the drawling
brass-fueled "Slow and Easy," featuring a gutty trombone
solo out of the Lawrence Brown school; while "Session at
Pete’s Pad" pushes the pedal a bit harder into a smooth
stomp.
Designed for the hard-boiled action and chase scenes,
there are two virile and impassioned pieces. "Blue
Steel" is a dramatic item filled with hollerin’ brass,
call and response incantations and a vehement Tabackin
solo. "Fallout," opening with briskly walking bass
leading into searing flutes, slow boils into a frenzy of
growling trombones, wailing French horns and screaming
trumpets.
While this is landmark music that broke ground for many
fine scores to follow, one thing stands high above it
all. This is spectacular music played by an
extraordinary group of musicians – timeless, powerful
and moving.
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