Search - Henry Mancini :: Martinis With Mancini

Music Lite

01/05/1999

(4 out of 5 stars)

"After reading luke-warm reviews, I went ahead and bought this album anyway. No regrets. It has a lot of cool music that you won't find on typical Mancini compilations. A combo of alternative versions of old standards and obscurities, it's well-suited for cocktails and light conversation. Mancini's a genius, and this gives you a good sense of the depth of his work."

Martinis with mancini

sosolong | HOUSTON, TX United States | 01/23/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I have several tapes/cd by Mancini but this cd however has got to be my favorite. The title is perfect for the selections on this cd. There are 20 selection in all and I simply love all of them. The selections are sophisicated and smooth with a touch of jazz. Just awesom!"

Nice Collection, But Not Much Variety

C. Michael Massey | St. Louis, Missouri | 02/14/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I'm a big fan of Henry Mancini and, although I think this is a decidedly fun and otherwise quite decent collection of some of his work, I think it suffers from its lack of variety.Although I would venture to say that the work of Mancini with which most people are likely familiar is the fast, latin-flavored lounge of which this album is mostly comprised, he was capable of a wide range of musical styles that really isn't adequately captured here. Although there are jazzy numbers like "The Chaser" and "The Beat," MARTINIS leaves out some of what is, in my opinion, some of his most beautiful work - the soothing, distinctly elegant music like "Royal Blue" from the soundtrack of THE PINK PANTHER, several tracks from the BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S soundtrack (including its famous "Moon River," of which there is only a "cha cha" version on MARTINIS), as well as "Bateau Mouche" and "Charade" from the soundtrack of (of course) CHARADE. "The Pink Panther Theme" itself would have been a nice addition to this collection, as well, as it's more than likely his most famous work and a remarkably sexy piece, at that.I suppose that the argument could be made that the tracks I'm suggesting don't exactly typify what the public at large consider "martini music" or true lounge music, but I counter with the argument that these tracks are more than classy enough to accompany the sipping of martinis and that lounges, by their very nature, are historically home to not only the lively, escapist, latin-spiced lounge music featured on MARTINIS, but also to the still elegant, but slower, more mellow (and often melancholy) lounge music that hints at all those things in life that make the sipping of martinis and hanging around in lounges necessary in the first place.Buy MARTINIS WITH MANCINI and have a blast. When you're ready to mellow out, however, check out the soundtracks to THE PINK PANTHER, BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S and CHARADE and remind yourself that the man Audrey Hepburn called the "hippest of cats" knew that variety was, indeed, the spice of life."