New York, NY (Top40 Charts) The Henry Mancini family continues to celebrate what would have been the late legendary composer's 100th birthday with the release of "Moon River/Audrey's Letter."
The video, directed by Martin Guigui, includes footage from the iconic film Breakfast at Tiffany's as well as behind-the-scenes footage of the recording of the song "Moon River" featuring Gustavo Dudamel, The Los Angeles Philharmonic & Los Angeles Master Chorale, Stevie Wonder and Audrey Hepburn.
Last week, Dinner at Mancini's, a lo-fi celebratory retrospective album, was announced and will be released on Friday, August 30th via Primary Wave Music and Downtown Music Services.
The 26 track project will feature 40+ of the top beatmakers, producers and instrumentalists across the lo-fi, chill-hop & alternative jazz universe from over 15+ countries, including Louk, Hippo Dreams, Melatone, UKDD, Nosmoh, Oatmello, and more. All 26 tracks will be mastered by lo-fi legend Glimlip, creating the perfect tribute in honor of Henry Mancini's musical legacy.
Dinner at Mancini's Tracklist:
Days of Wine & Roses - Clifford & Paul Grant Peter Gunn - l'eupe
Pink Panther - Soul Food Horns, Jonah Levine & luv pug
Lujon - Louk ft. Jonah Levine, Paul Grant & time●bender
Kelly's Tune - Azayaka & Soul Food horns
Slow & Easy - Nosmoh & Slug ft. Jonah Levine & luv pug
A Quiet Gass - Rinze & Howden
A Profound Gass - Howden, Signature D & Calvin Bennet
Session At Pete's Pad - Slug & Clifford
Moon River - Jazzinuf, Hippo Dreams & Noé Mina
Moon River (Reprise) - Slug & luv pug ft. time●bender, Louk & Jonah Levine
Blue Satin - Anton, Superglue, & Tonion
Theme For Losers - Superglue & Anton
Fluter's Ball - UKDD, Paul Grant & Louk
Tinpanola - Strehlow, Noé Mina, &Slug
Meglio Stasera - Soul Food Horns & Matt Wilde
Breakfast at Tiffany's - Louk, Søren Søstrom, Lazy Lief, Paul Grant & Farnell Newton
Brief & Breezy - Ben Jammin' Beats, Erwin Do, Farnell Newton & Berezy
Baby Elephant Walk - 9ick, Slug & Rasmus Sørensen
Dreamsville - 9ick, Soul Food Horns & Rasmus Sørensen
The Brothers Go to Mothers - 9ick, Tamuz, Shaan Ramprasad, Rasmus Sørensen & Carlos Abril
Mr. Lucky Goes Latin - Noé Mina, delaney. & Melatone
Blue Mantilla - Oatmello, Hoffy, Louk, Paul Grant & Jonah Levine
Sorta Blue - DYVN, overthemoon & Howden
Oddball - Tah. / Ødyssee, Blumen / DLJ & Shoganai
Champagne & Quail - Enluv, Club Diego, Honey mtn & Slug
The release of Dinner at Mancini's joins a long list of activations and celebrations that have been implemented throughout 2024 in honor of what would have been the late Henry Mancini's 100th birthday. Earlier this month, CBS Sunday Morning dedicated a segment to the late composer's legacy (watch HERE) and on June 21st, Primary Wave Music released The Henry Mancini 100th Sessions - Henry Has Company which featured guest appearances from Lizzo, Quincy Jones, John Williams, and more.
The album peaked at #1 on iTunes Top Albums Chart the week of July 1st. As of this week, The Henry Mancini 100th Sessions - Henry Has Company is currently sitting at #1 on Billboard's Compilation Albums chart, as well as #4 on Traditional Jazz Albums, #5 on Jazz Albums, #29 on Top Current Album Sales, and #41 on Top Album Sales.
On Sunday, June 23rd, The Hollywood Bowl Orchestra and special guests Michael Bublé, Cynthia Erivo, and Monica Mancini raised the curtain on the Bowl's 2024 season with a 100th birthday celebration for Henry Mancini conducted by the great Thomas Wilkins. And on, Monday, June 24th, the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles honored Mancini's centennial with an event featuring live performances by Dave Koz, GRAMMY Award-nominated vocalist and Henry's daughter Monica Mancini, and more.
Coming up later this summer, on August 4th, music director, conductor, and arranger Kevin Stites will explore the music of Mancini for the annual Gala Benefit Evening at the Ravinia Festival. Curated and hosted by actor Rob Lindley, "Mancini at 100: The Music of Henry Mancini, from the big screen, to the small screen, to the stage and beyond" features Broadway vocalists Jessie Mueller (Waitress, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical), Norm Lewis (The Phantom of the Opera, Les Misérables), and KarenMason (Sunset Boulevard), with all three making their Ravinia and CSO debuts.
On Monday, September 2nd, Edwin Outwater and the BBC Concert Orchestra will celebrate Mancini and his music in styles ranging from jazz to light classical and film music at the Royal Albert Hall in London with "Prom 57: Ultra Lounge - Henry Mancini and Beyond". Among the classics to be performed are the slinky 'Lujon' and themes from The Pink Panther and Peter Gunn, joined by gems from the lounge music and space-age pop genres Mancini helped inspire, including easy-going tracks by Burt Bacharach, Les Baxter and Juan García Esquivel. Tickets are available for purchase here and the performance will also stream live on BBC Radio 3.
Additionally this fall, The Extraordinary Life of Henry Mancini: Official Graphic Novel will hit shelves. From the humble beginnings of his father's flute lessons to composing his Oscar-winner scores, this new graphic novel, written by David Calcano and illustrated by the award-winning studio Fantoons, illustrates every step in the journey of Henry Mancini's pivotal and industry-shaping career and is available for pre-order now. Jon Burlingame's book Dreamsville: Henry Mancini, Peter Gunn, and Music for TV Noir, chronicling the backstory of Peter Gunn and how its music propelled Mancini to fame and fortune, published earlier this month and is available for purchase via Amazon.
On Saturday, September 28th, the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. will honor Henry's 100th with a special concert event at the Library of Congress' Coolidge Theater.
