Mancini Magic

Although we are now well into 2010 this is the first opportunity I have had to tell you of the busy December I had playing for the dinners and parties leading up to the seasonal celebrations. My partner Brenda, (who just happens to be a cousin of the Editor of this magazine and can do a very good impersonation of Marlene Dietrich singing “Falling in Love Again”!!) is also very knowledgeable of the sort of music I play and is very helpful to me when I am preparing my programmes. She also joined me on my engagements and we both enjoyed so much the atmosphere created by hearing once again the season’s music, which we only hear this music at this time of year.
It seems to give us all such a lovely warm feeling, just like putting on a nice warm overcoat on a cold winter’s day. The party of the Suffolk Air Crew Association was really special —some three hours of lovely tunes from the WW2 period.The members, who sadly get fewer each year, maybe in their eighties and more but they joined in each chorus with great gusto; yes they still know how to enjoy themselves.
This month I would like to remind you of that wonderful composer and musician Henry Mancini who was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on April 16th 1924. His father Quinto and mother Anne moved the family to the steel town of Aliquippa when at the age of eight Henry was first introduced to music and the flute by his father, who played the instrument himself. Henry Mancini took up the piano at the age of twelve and eventually became interested in arranging. Soon after his graduation from Aliquippa High School in 1942 he enrolled in the famous New York Juilliard School of Music.

Following his call up for military service he served overseas in the air force and infantry. After his release in 1945 he joined the Glenn Miller – Tex Beneke Orchestra as a pianist /arranger. It was there he met Ginny O’Connor who was a singer in the band and was one of the original members of Mel Torme’s “Mel Tones”. They married in Hollywood in 1947.

To me he wrote some of the really “musical” and descriptive pieces of music. As a musician I love his music which usually has the most interesting chord sequences which makes playing them such a joy. One of his loveliest film scores was for the TV adaption of “The Thorn Birds”, (Meggies Theme) “Anywhere the Heart Goes”. He also composed music for films notably “The Glenn Miller Story “ and “the Benny Goodman Story”.

He received many well deserved honorary doctorates and film awards for his music , too many to mention here. He was truly yet another giant in the popular music business and I have set out below just a few of his well known pieces

• Moon River
• Harry’s Theme
• Days of Wine and Roses
• Dear Heart
• Baby Elephant Walk
• Music for The Pink Panther films

and finally two of my own special favourites Mr Lucky and Two For the Road.