Henry Mancini - Combo!
Released as his seventh studio LP for RCA Victor, Henry Mancini’s Combo! captures the legendary composer at the height of his creative powers, turning away from sprawling cinematic orchestras to celebrate the intimate, punchy dynamics of the small jazz ensemble.
Captured in legendary 1960 sessions at RCA Victor's Hollywood studios, the album benefits from the pristine engineering of master recordist Al Schmitt, delivering the warm, spacious sonic signature of RCA's golden "Living Stereo" era. Mancini brought together an elite roster of West Coast jazz virtuosos—including Art Pepper, Pete Candoli, Shelly Manne, Ted Nash, Larry Bunker, and a young John Williams on piano and harpsichord—to bring his visionary charts to life.
Bridging the gap between sophisticated late-night cool and exuberant modernism, the album showcases sharp improvisation, shimmering harpsichord and vibraphone textures, and tight horn lines that balance intricate counterpoint with infectious, swinging grooves.
Artist(s): Conductor, Arranged by – Henry Mancini
Trumpet – Pete Candoli
Alto Saxophone, Flute – Ted Nash
Baritone Saxophone, Alto Flute – Ronny Lang
Bass – Rolly Bundock
Clarinet – Art Pepper
Congas – Ramon Rivera
Drums – Shelly Manne
Guitar, Bass Guitar – Bob Bain
Piano, Harpsichord – Johnny Williams
Vibraphone, Marimba – Larry Bunker
Recording Info: Recorded at RCA Victor's Music Center of The World, Hollywood, California, on June 14, 1960 (2,5,10), on June 17, 1960 (3,7,9,10), on June 21, 1960 (1,4,6,8,12)
Engineer - Al Schmit
Producer - Dick Peirce
Sourced from a 4-track tape
Components used for Transfer:
This transfer leverages precision analogue playback and mastering-grade digital conversion. The signal path begins with a modified Otari MX5050, fed through a Merrill Audio Master MX Tape Head Preamp. The analogue signal is converted via a Merging Hapi converter, synchronised to an Antelope Audio 10MX atomic clock for temporal accuracy. All components receive isolated power conditioning through a Shunyata Research Everest 8000 with Shunyata Sigma-X power cords, while grounding infrastructure utilises Shunyata ALTAIRA hubs to minimise noise floor and preserve sonic detail throughout the transfer chain.
1 Moanin' 2:53
2 Sidewalks Of Cuba 3:21
3 Dream Of You 2:57
4 Swing Lightly 4:19
5 Castle Rock 2:35
6 A Powdered Wig 2:40
7 Playboy's Theme 3:00
8 Tequila 2:40
9 Far East Blues 3:30
10 Charleston Alley 3:15
11 Scandinavian Shuffle 2:41
12 Everybody Blow! 3:27
Please Note: This release was edited in DXD PCM from a DSD256 Master, then the DXD edited master was used to generate the final DSD files using Merging Technologies Album Publishing.
DXD (352.8KHz 24/32 bit PCM) is one of the best and least destructive formats for post-processing DSD originated digital recordings.
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