Combo!
1962 studio album by Henry Mancini
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Combo! was Henry Mancini's seventh studio LP for RCA Victor Records. Although recorded in 1960, it was not released until early 1962.
| Combo! | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1962 | |||
| Recorded | June 14, 17, 22, 1960 | |||
| Studio | RCA Victor Music Center of the World, Hollywood, California | |||
| Genre | Jazz | |||
| Length | 36:31 | |||
| Label | RCA Victor | |||
| Producer | Dick Peirce | |||
| Henry Mancini chronology | ||||
| ||||
Origin and concept
Combo! was recorded in June 1960 at RCA Victor's Music Center of the World in Hollywood, California. The liner notes observed that the contribution of the small band or "combo" to the "golden musical decade" from 1935 to 1945 is too frequently overlooked. Combo! was designed to recognize the contribution of that ensemble to the musical scene, with "fresh, musical and creative" jazz, written and improvised. Mancini incorporated the harpsichord into the musical concept for Combo!, its "sheer texture" said to provide a "fresh and appealing sound."[1]
Combo! was described as arranger Mancini's challenge to "make eleven players sound like a full balanced orchestra and do justice to the songs as well." The resulting harmonies "had a truly modernist feel to them;" the soloists "locked into a firm geometry as striking and detached as a Cubist painting.[2]
Critical reviews and chart performance
Billboard magazine placed Combo! among its Spotlight Albums of the Week, characterizing it as "on the order of a salute to great pop combos of other years," with arrangements that "swing in Mancini's own current style."[3]
Combo! spent 14 weeks on the Billboard Top LPs chart of best selling stereo LPs, topping out at #28 in March 1962.[4]
Track listing
| Track | Title | Composers | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Moanin' | Timmons | 2:50 |
| 2 | Sidewalks of Cuba | Oakland, Parish, Mills | 3:22 |
| 3 | Dream of You | Oliver | 2:54 |
| 4 | Swing Lightly | Mancini | 4:15 |
| 5 | Castle Rock | Drake, Shirl, Sears | 2:31 |
| 6 | A Powdered Wig | Mancini | 2:35 |
| 7 | Playboy's Theme | Coleman | 2:55 |
| 8 | Tequila | Rio | 2:35 |
| 9 | Far East Blues | Mancini | 3:26 |
| 10 | Charleston Alley | Henderson, Kirkland | 3:10 |
| 11 | Scandinavian Shuffle | Asmussen | 2:37 |
| 12 | Everybody Blow! | Mancini | 3:21 |
Personnel
- Pete Candoli – trumpet
- Dick Nash – trombone
- Ted Nash – alto sax and C-flute
- Art Pepper – clarinet
- Ronny Lang – baritone sax and alto flute
- Johnny Williams – piano and harpsichord
- Bob Bain – guitar and bass guitar
- Rollie Bundock – bass
- Larry Bunker – vibes and marimba
- Ramon Rivera – conga
- Shelly Manne – drums
Production
- Dick Peirce – producer
- Al Schmitt – engineer