Johnny Mandel 1925 - 2020

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pljms
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Johnny Mandel 1925 - 2020

Post by pljms »

It's just been announced that the brilliant composer and arranger Johnny Mandel has died at the age of 94. Here he is with his own arrangement of probably his most famous composition:
Paul
blueonblue
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Re: Johnny Mandel 1925 - 2020

Post by blueonblue »

Johnny Mandel R.I.P.

'blue'
pljms
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Re: Johnny Mandel 1925 - 2020

Post by pljms »

Another example of Johnny Mandel's genius is the theme to the movie 'Agatha' which with lyrics by Paul Williams became 'Close Enough For Love'. Although this has been covered by the likes of Peggy Lee and Tony Bennett for my money it's the recording by Pattie Brooks that is the most haunting and affecting:
Paul
Sara D
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Re: Johnny Mandel 1925 - 2020

Post by Sara D »

His score for the movie 'I Want To Live' from the late 50s was very jazzy and featured baritone sax virtuoso Gerry Mulligan.
Martin Johnson
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Re: Johnny Mandel 1925 - 2020

Post by Martin Johnson »

Sara D wrote: Thu Jul 02, 2020 12:34 am His score for the movie 'I Want To Live' from the late 50s was very jazzy and featured baritone sax virtuoso Gerry Mulligan.
Hearing that score just makes me want to see the movie.

I'd almost forgotten that Johnny Mandel was responsible for the arrangement on the title song of Painted From Memory, the only track on the album not arranged by Bacharach:
pljms
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Re: Johnny Mandel 1925 - 2020

Post by pljms »

For many years I must admit I didn't know a huge amount about Johnny Mandel other than his name seemed to crop up quite a bit as the arranger on some favourite album tracks, like Diana Krall's 'I've Got You Under My Skin'. In this excuisite arrangement he appears to have been directly inspired by Claus Ogerman's work for Antonio Carlos Jobim in the 1960s and when listening to it for the first time I remember thinking it was a real shame that the songwriter Cole Porter was no longer around to hear it.

Paul
harrymcc
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Re: Johnny Mandel 1925 - 2020

Post by harrymcc »

I have a soft spot for Mandel’s “The Shadow of Your Smile,” since it was the love theme from the Taylor/Burton film THE SANDPIPER, which was written in part by my cousins Louis and Irene Kamp. (They had to go to arbitration to get credit after Dalton Trumbo did his own pass on the script.) It must be one of the most-recorded songs ever, and it’s always good and never quite the same.

Here’s one of the most entertaining, oddest versions, as performed by Sergio Franchi and Germany’s Kessler twins:

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