Soundtrack composers are easy to dismiss for the mass appeal of their work – populist & therefore shallow. Henry Mancini is one such composer. The range of his musical ability is staggering when one looks at the span of his career. Academy awards only testify to the popularity of his work not of its quality.
Also with time, even his timeless pieces have taken on a sort of nostalgic campy quality. A song like Moon River seems quaint. I have always loved his music for Peter Gunn & have the original TV soundtrack. When you get past the Arch of the Cue Balls you have a fine, state-of-the-jazz art album that can stand with anything by, say, Horace Silver. Quincy Jones Plays Mancini is a great set of covers. I love Baby Elephant Walk.
I guess I am a Herbie Mann fan, at least of his work up to the mid-70’s. The first Herbie Mann I heard was Push Push way back in 1971. I loved it & the use of harp in jazz was a revelation. I had that lp & replaced it with the cd. I found the double lp Evolution of Mann remaindered at Zellers & it covered the earlier part of his career, eventually I did the conversion from lp to cd. Stone Flute, & Gagaka I also had as lps at one time & both are stunning sets.
As mp3 I have by Herbie Mann: Flute Flight 1957, Flute Soufflé 1957, Do The Bossanova 1962, The Complete Latin Band Sessions w Chick Corea 1965, Impressions of the Middle East 1966, Gagaku & Beyond 1976, Two Amigos 1990 w Dave Valentine, Beyond Brooklyn 2004 w Phil Woods. Stand-alones: lp to cd transfer of Evolution of Mann: a sort of hits collection; Stone Flute 1969 meditative with strings includes stunning take on The Beatles ‘Flying’, Push Push 1971 w Duane Allman Gene Bianca on harp.
Mann was a world music fan before it was on trend. He explored Latin, Japanese, Northern Africa music with musicians from those areas. He steeped himself in the sound & sensibility & co-created memorable music. I love the Gagaku work. Where to start? I’d go with Push Push. Don’t let his hairy shoulders put you off.
Rounding out the Mann mp3 cd compilations are: Wes Montgomery: Fingerpickin’, Moving’ Along. Early work by Wes with his trademark fluid jazz guitar. Stanley Jordan: Magic Touch – modelled after Wes, another deft guitarist. Art Pepper: The Trip – excellent sax with more of a hard bop edge. Some mid 50’s sleaze adventures, where you feel the tassels twirling around your nose as you listen: Strip Tease 50’s Classics: by the likes of Dave Rose, Sonny Lester – songs like Strip Poker, The Stripper; Buddy Bregman: Swinging Kicks. Burlesque A Go-Go: various rock-a-billy for peelers.
Perhaps the ultimate Bond soundtrack by John Barry: Goldfinger. Shirley Bassey delivers the best Bond title song of all time. Finally as a break from all that: Don Slepian: Electronic Music From The Rainbow Isle – a moog, computer music pioneer; Szatvari Csaba: Galilei’s Nightmare – new ageish sound textures.
Take The Plunge
the room was full
maple leaves sumac oak
aspen poplar beech
more leaves than the eye could see
could gave names to
rose lilac no flowers just leaves
stacked
each one tagged
ready to be discarded
<>
leaves fluttering chafing rustling
at each breath I took
whispering to each other
that I was there
shuddering
at the sight of my rake
they feared the rake
<>
the brown big bag behind my back
wasn’t going to hold them all
I’d need more bags
more rakes
<>
the leaves trembled in anticipation
to be stuffed crammed
longing to be taken outdoors
to become compost
for future leaves
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I didn’t know where to begin
were there stairs
the house was crammed
floor to ceiling
nothing could be seen
leaves crumbling
stumbling
over one another
more arrived every minute
squeezing though cracks in the wall
down the chimney
<>
it was an endless task
I began raking
pulling them from under chairs
bag after bag
line the curb
yet the house never emptied
all around me
the swirl of leaves
green red black pointed waxy
I couldn’t get down the stairs
my rake was useless
they no longer had fear
no bags left and there were more
<>
catalpa palm smoke tree
I climbed out to the porch roof
the street was an ocean
the bags I had tenderly packed
had all broken open
children where running and playing
diving through the leaves
never touching the ground
unaware of the dangers
beneath the glorious tempest of leaves
<>
I took the plunge
(2008)
TOpoet 