Two For the Road

Music by Henry Mancini

 

 

 

 

 

Couldn´t go wrong: the always recommended Dave Grusin recording Henry Mancini themes is so welcome that the only regret is that there´s few projects like that. Having the good sense to not appeal to Mancini standarts extensively heard as Moon River or Pink Panther, Grusin carefully selected repertoire where the most popular themes are Peter Gunn, Baby Elephant Walk and Days of Wine and Roses.

 

“I wanted to expose a few song that we don´t get to hear every day. I´ve used most of the material on this album as vehicles for improvising ... I´d like to think that Hank would approve” – D. Grusin

 

In the title track Two For the Road, Grusin perfectly simulates the Mancini´s soft-jazz by using strings in romantic atmosphere while the other tracks work as "updates" of original songs to modern jazz language (Grusin´s pop-jazz). Thus, Days of Wine and Roses gives room for solos and improvisations and Whistling Away the Dark (from Darling Lili, 1970) receives a soft-samba version with moving harmonica solo. Hatari stands out as one of the best tracks keeping the mysterious atmosphere of the original, but without miss the jazzy sense in the new recording. Closing the album is the ballad Soldier in the Rain, in reflective mood and with a (always) great performance of singer Diana Krall. As often in the work of Dave Grusin the overall result is a great jazz album, worth for jazz fans as much as for film music listeners.