All-Star ‘Peter Gunn’ Session With John Williams, Quincy Jones, Herbie Hancock Pays Tribute to Henry Mancini

[Once 1,047]

Fun article from Variety.

 

Quote

The centennial of Henry Mancini, composer of “The Pink Panther,” “Moon River” and other movie songs, isn’t until 2024. But the celebration began on Thursday when an all-star parade of Oscar, Emmy and Grammy-winning musicians got together to re-record one of his most famous works: “Peter Gunn.”

 

With legendary composers John Williams and Herbie Hancock on keyboards, jazz great Arturo Sandoval on trumpet and music mogul Quincy Jones conducting an 18-piece band of L.A. session players, Mancini’s 1958 TV theme rocked the Warner Bros. scoring stage all afternoon.

It was old home week for many, who seemingly spent half the three-hour session embracing, laughing and snapping photos. Williams and Jones called each other “Q” and “John T.,” the nicknames they had when the two were toiling side-by-side at Universal Television in the 1960s, before each started collecting Oscars and Grammys for their work in films and records.

 

Williams, 90, was the only member of the band who was actually at the original “Peter Gunn” recording sessions 64 years ago. He not only performed on the “Peter Gunn” soundtrack album – which won the very first Album of the Year Grammy – he also played piano on the weekly scores for “Gunn,” a private-eye series that ran on NBC from 1958-1961.
 

“He had a wonderful, populist touch,” Williams told Variety after the session. “Things like this, ‘Peter Gunn,’ and those wonderful songs. People picked up right away on the broad humanity in his music. He was very gifted. He was a child of the big-band era so he knew that school of writing very well. He connected with people and they with him. That’s why we know and love him.”

 

[Bespin Copilot 10,579]

[Tom 6,447]

It is cool when three 90 year olds show 20 year olds how to be cool.  

 

This will part of a documentary on Mancini.  I love these kinds of projects, and how great is it that Williams is playing the theme on piano six and a half decades later?  These sorts of things have little to no precedent and it is hard to imagine them happening again.  

[lairdo 941]

Gosh I hope we get this track!

[crumbs 15,907]

This sounds incredible! I hope they got plenty of footage!

[artguy360 2,168]

Wow, what an incredible event. I'm looking forward to listening to the recording and hopefully lots of behind the scenes footage.

[crocodile 9,530]

Pretty cool!

 

Karol

[King Mark 3,908]

wait this happened recently or is he just reminiscing about playing the theme decades ago?

[Jay 45,320]

18 minutes ago, King Mark said:

wait this happened recently 

 

18 hours ago, Once said:

the celebration began on Thursday

 

[King Mark 3,908]

seems a bit surreal

[karelm 3,261]

That's really so cool!

[Nick Parker 3,049]

i need this fucking performance NOW

[Tom 6,447]

16 hours ago, Nick Parker said:

i need this fucking performance NOW

That performance is going to be with the Baby Elephant Walk.  

[Bespin Copilot 10,579]

I'm not an expert of the remastering history of this album on CD, but I would suggest you to buy it, it's a MUST!

 

 

[QuartalHarmony 969]

It’s probably for the best I wasn’t there in the room with Herbie, John and Q - the sound of me raving incoherently, trying to form the words to express a combination of delirious excitement and general I’m-Not-Worthy-ness would have definitely ruined the recording.

 

 I’m not sure whose boots I would have licked first.

 

Mark

[igger6 1,032]

The older John Williams gets, the more obsessed I get with seeing him go back and play the piano.  This video that came up in another thread a few months ago was a huge factor in that.

 

 

Maybe this experience will send him back to re-explore his jazz roots for some upcoming work!

[Tom 6,447]

 

[Thor 9,337]

I just saw this shared on social media. Very cool! Williams and Jones already performed the GUNN theme live in a Mancini tribute concert some 4-5 years ago, but gotta dig the line-up of this recording session for an actual new Mancinin tribute album. Just wish the videos of the recording session itself lasted longer.

 

 

 

 

[Luke Skywalker 2,334]

Amazing he can still play the piano at his age.

[Marian Schedenig 11,409]

Awesome!

[artguy360 2,168]

Finally! We got news of this a while ago. Great to see and listen.

[jwfan06 561]

The most amazing thing is that he doesn't even look at the keyboard. He just looks at the musicians' faces and is amazed at their playing...

[lairdo 941]

Truly enjoyable, and hopefully we'll get the album soon. 

 

Both videos (the sessions) and the actual reporter with interviews are lovely to watch.

[karelm 3,261]

He's so full of charm and modesty.  A real gem of a human being.  It also looked like he was having some fun being a session player for a change.  I bet he felt like 26 year old again.  

 

[Bayesian 1,589]

2 hours ago, karelm said:

He's so full of charm and modesty.  A real gem of a human being.  It also looked like he was having some fun being a session player for a change.  I bet he felt like 26 year old again.  

 

It must have been a bit surreal for him to be doing session work, so to speak, at this stage in his career—a fun little time warp. I’m looking forward to this album!

[Ramoninoff 22]

 

[Muad'Dib 2,018]

That was magical.

[Jay 45,320]

Finally watched these new videos.  Wow, they are great!

[Marian Schedenig 11,409]

Quote

I think it works.

 

[p0llux 434]

3 hours ago, Ramoninoff said:

 

 

ohhhh at the start, he's playing the opening to the second movement of Brahms Piano Concerto No.2 again. He played that during the recording session for The Fabelmans when he was trying to impress Joanne Pearce Martin as shown in my profile pic.

 

haha, i feel like that's his goto passage to show off his piano skills now in public.

[Raiders of the SoundtrArk 2,647]

Damn he's great

[Luke Skywalker 2,334]

Quincy jones looks like lando carlrissian 

[jwfan06 561]

15 hours ago, Ramoninoff said:

 

What piece does he play from 00:40? Or is it just impro?

 

[MrJosh 1,183]

Amazing videos, that's so cool to see him jamming. It must have been quite a special experience for him. 

 

When Tracy Smith calls the Peter Gunn Theme a 'song', you can see on Johnny's face that he wants to show her that meme @Jay posts. 

 

[Jay 45,320]

Hahahahahahahaha I thought the same thing

[pete 1,302]

Williams looks like he's having the time of his life in the prime of his life! Like the Fabelman's video, it's so wonderful to see him laughing and showing the sheer joy music brings him. 

[mrbellamy 7,920]

This is condescending but he just looks freaking adorable sitting there playing with the big headphones on 

[pete 1,302]

I'd be happy if this upcoming documentary just showed Williams amusing himself at the piano for a few hours. But i could do without the commentary!

[WilliamsStarShip2282 326]

the funniest part of this video is he literally just puts one finger on the piano an everyone freaks out and just stares at him. Clearly hes just sitting like anybody else, but totally unclear of his god level status

[Jay 45,320]

I wonder if he truly enjoyed every moment he was there that day, or if something like "every minute I'm sitting here waiting for the next take to start is a minute I could be composing instead"

[mrbellamy 7,920]

Nah I think the novelty of it would have made it completely fun since it was both a recording session and a publicity stunt. Looks like as much of a social event as an actual workday. He obviously has no interest in going back to being a real session pianist. 

[Jay 45,320]

True

[Tom 6,447]

Excellent videos.  Mancini's son-in-law's claim that no one else has created such universally recognized themes is extra laughable, given the context.  

 

Edit: Perhaps I need to clarify.  The claim is laughable bc the man who also has created universally recognized themes and to an even greater extent is literally in the room while the son-in-law is talking.  

[WilliamsStarShip2282 326]

I would say the only one people know universally is moon river, maybe pink panther. But universally is hardly true, as unfortunate as it is.

[Marian Schedenig 11,409]

6 hours ago, WilliamsStarShip2282 said:

I would say the only one people know universally is moon river, maybe pink panther. But universally is hardly true, as unfortunate as it is.

 

And Baby Elephant Walk. Though most people probably have no idea where that's from or who wrote it (I didn't for a long time).

[WilliamsStarShip2282 326]

16 hours ago, Marian Schedenig said:

 

And Baby Elephant Walk. Though most people probably have no idea where that's from or who wrote it (I didn't for a long time).

 

true. thats actually a pretty groovy tune

[Tallguy 7,023]

Baby Elephant Walk is one of those tunes that just IS. Way more people know the tune than have any idea what it is, what it's from, or who wrote it.

 

I don't know if this continues to be the case.

[Jay 45,320]

New video

 

 

[QuartalHarmony 969]

Lovely. Any news on when this tribute album is due for release?

 

 

[Jay 45,320]

Way back in the main post (from Oct 2022) it said it wasn't coming out until 2024 (which is the year Mancini would have been 100).  But I don't think we know what quarter/month yet