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The Mancini Project

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Ted Nash

 
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The Mancini Project
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Avg: 4.0 (17 ratings)

A tribute to the works of Henry Mancini

  • We Say...

    Review by Britt Robson

    Ted Nash literally grew up with the compositions of Henry Mancini: his father, uncle and music teacher all were members of Mancini ensembles, and played together on the weekly TV show The Mancini Generation. But even on this personal tribute devoted to another man's music, Nash's bold conceptual prowess comes to the fore. He ignores Mancini's most familiar work ("Moon River" and the "Pink Panther" and "Peter Gunn" themes), turns the classic "Breakfast At Tiffany's" into a vehicle for bassist Rufus Reid's nimble perambulation and honors Mancini's hallmark trait of downsizing traditionally orchestral film work into small combo interplay by distilling them further into duet and trio exchanges, as members of his superb quartet briefly lay out.

    Through it all, Nash sews a wide variety of moods and textures into a manageably cohesive package bolstered by a top-notch quartet whose virtues are well-suited to the project. Pianist Frank Kimbrough has the elegant, "cocktail" tone that can induce the sort of vibrant but understated luster that is commonly a vital component of soundtracks, yet with harmonic and rhythmic sophistication that delivers deeper enrichment. Kimbrough's oblique solo adds allure to "Dreamsville" in the wake of Nash's lush interlude, with Matt Wilson's rustling cymbals further crinkling the mix. On "Lujon," Kimbrough's phrases are like the latest generation of camping clothes: light as a feather yet woven for resilience and incredibly versatile under changing conditions. At least a decade older (and thus closer to Mancini's time) than the other three musicians, bassist Reid is relied upon heavily for rhythm and melody, and flourishes in both roles. Check his rubbery pulse in sync with Wilson's high-hat beat for the cool jive of "Mr. Yunioshi," then contrast it to the next track, when he engages both Nash (on flute) and Kimbrough in riveting duets that unearth the pathos in "Soldier in the Rain."

    Nash runs the gamut from flute to tenor sax, and is perhaps at his best in the unlikely guise of '50s hipster (when Playboy was ascendant and kitsch was yet to be categorized), bopping away on "The Party," featuring an arrangement so insouciant even Kimbrough makes like a member of Ramsey Lewis's "In Crowd." Yet another soundtrack for a farce, "A Shot in the Dark," yields a quick, slinky groove, and with "Night Visitor" and "Experiment in Terror," Nash flexes the portentous side of Mancini.

  • They Say...

    Review by Alex Henderson, All Music Guide

    No one can accuse Ted Nash of favoring an "all warhorses all the time" policy; in other words, he isn't the type of jazz instrumentalist who refuses to record anything that hasn't already been recorded by dozens of other artists. The saxophonist has interpreted his share of standards along the way, but on some of his albums he has recorded original material exclusively. The Mancini Project is unusual for Nash for a pair of reasons: first, it doesn't contain any original material at all; and second, it is a tribute album. The person Nash pays tribute to is the late composer Henry Mancini, and while he isn't the first jazz instrumentalist to pay homage to Mancini, it is safe to say that Mancini hasn't been the focus of nearly as many jazz tributes as George Gershwin, Johnny Mercer, Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, or Antonio Carlos Jobim. From a jazz standpoint, there is still room for risk-taking where Mancini's songs are concerned -- and Nash takes his share of risks on this 64-minute CD, putting an attractive post-bop spin on Mancini compositions that range from "Dreamsville" to "Soldier in the Rain" to the theme from Breakfast at Tiffany's. Some Mancini enthusiasts might nitpick about the songs that Nash doesn't include; for example, he doesn't play "Days of Wine and Roses" or "The Pink Panther Theme." But then, Nash's willingness to make less obvious choices is one of the things that makes this album as interesting as it is. The theme from the 1962 film Experiment in Terror isn't as obvious a choice as "Days of Wine and Roses" would have been, but the former works enjoyably well for Nash on The Mancini Project -- which is one of the saxman's best albums and certainly one of his most intriguing.

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