Hollywood arranger and conductor Henry Mancini released four albums in 1960—two soundtracks and two jazz instrumental LPs. The scores were for the film High Time and TV series Mr. Lucky. The jazz-flavored instrumentals were The Blues and the Beat and The Mancini Touch. In the case of all four, their cool swing, melodic jauntiness and instrumental textures were perfectly in sync with the minimalist space-age feel of the year and the palm-lined breeziness of Beverly Hills. Or did they invent the mood and everything else followed? [Photo above of Henry Mancini, courtesy of Ginny Mancini]
Here are 10 songs from the four albums that are quintessentially and undeniably Mancini in 1960 [photo above of Ginny and Henry Mancini, courtesy of Ginny Mancini]:
Here's So Neat from High Time...
Here's The Beat from The Blues and the Beat...
Here's Free and Easy from The Mancini Touch...
Here's Night Flower from Music From Mr. Lucky...
Here's Moon Talk from High Times...
Here's How Could You Do a Thing Like This to Me from The Blues and the Beat...
Here's a Cool Shade of Blue from The Mancini Touch...
Here's That's It and That's All from Music From Mr. Lucky...
Here's Tiger! from High Time...
And here's Politely from The Mancini Touch...