The Jazz Sound From Peter Gunn

AMG Review of The Jazz Sound From Peter Gunn

Stephen Cook
All Music Guide

This import collects most of the material Mancini wrote for the late-'50s, noir-ish TV drama Peter Gunn (RCA has two separate volumes out that cover all 32 tracks). The innovative and appropriate jazz soundtrack includes arrangements by Pete Candoli, Maxwell Davis, and Bob Florence and features some of the best Los Angeles session players of the time (Bud Shank, Russ Freeman, Red Mitchell, etc.). Mancini takes up from his earlier soundtrack for Orson Welles' Touch of Evil with brass-heavy, crime jazz tunes like "Fallout!" and rock & roll swing numbers like Spook!" and the title-track. The bulk of the material, though, is in a cool, West Coast jazz vein, including brisk swingers like "Blue Steel" and breezy and mid-tempo cuts like "Goofin' at the Coffee House." Also included are the kind of sleepy-eyed lounge cuts Mancini excelled at, like "Dreamsville," "A Quiet Gass," and "Soft Sounds." This is an excellent collection and one that ranks with Mancini's other fine film and TV work from the '50s and '60s.