6 highlights from the Henry Mancini Centennial Concert at the Hollywood Bowl

The Canadian crooner performed two tracks, the samba-style “It Had Better Be Tonight” from pink Pantherand Mancini’s most famous composition, “Moon River” from Breakfast at Tiffany’s. “Moon River” is one of the most gorgeous songs ever written, a ballad that will endure as long as there are “two floaters to see the world.” It ranked #4 on the American Film Institute’s 2004 list 100 years of AFI… 100 songsjust behind “Over the Rainbow,” “As Time Goes By” and “Singin’ in the Rain.”

Bublé included “It Had Better Be Tonight” on his 2007 album Call me irresponsible, which earned him the first of five Grammy Awards for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album. He sings “Moon River”, performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, on the new one Henry Mancini – Henry Has Company 100th Session Collection.

Bublé, 48, said during the show that Mancini’s music holds personal memories for him. His father took young Michael for a piggyback ride while humming the upbeat Pink Panther theme song.

The Tony, Grammy and Daytime Emmy winner shone in “Days of Wine and Roses” from the 1962 film of the same name. The song is sometimes overshadowed by “Moon River,” but this ballad, also from a film directed by Blake Edwards, is also a top-notch composition. Mercer’s line “A door marked ‘Nevermore’/That wasn’t there before” is one of the most moving lines ever written.

Erivo also sang two songs from Mancini’s Oscar-winning score for the 1982 film. Victor/Victoria, which starred Julie Andrews and Robert Preston. Erivo sang the lovely ballad ‘Crazy World’ (it’s gotten a lot crazier since) and the jazzy ‘Le Jazz Hot’. Andrews, who sang the songs in the 1982 film, is a tough act to follow, but Erivo, 37, acquitted herself well.

Event producers didn’t even bother looking for a singer to sing “Whistling Away the Dark,” the hypnotic ballad composed by Mancini and Mercer for the 1970 film. Dear Lily. (The song earned them their fourth joint Academy Award for Best Original Song.) Instead, they simply screened Julie Andrews’ performance clip from the Blake Edwards film. Here it is.

Saxophonist Dave Koz opened the show with the whimsical “Baby Elephant Walk,” from Hatari!, and performed the encore, a taut, muscular version of “The Peter Gunn Theme.” The last theme puts the lie to the idea that Mancini only composed “pretty music”.

Koz, 61, also performed the “Pink Panther Theme” with a film montage of that 1964 Peter Sellers classic. Koz included the jazzy tune on his Grammy-nominated 2007 album At the movies.

Monica Mancini, one of Mancini’s two daughters, sang “Two for the Road” from the 1967 film of the same name, starring Audrey Hepburn and Albert Finney. Monica said that the melancholic piece was her father’s favorite of his compositions. The song, with lyrics by Leslie Bricusse, failed to receive an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song and was not a big hit, but Mancini was still right to be proud of it.

Monica Mancini, 72, also sang “Meggie’s Theme.” Birds with thornsthe hit 1983 miniseries starring Richard Chamberlain and Rachel Ward.

Wilkins conducted the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra through a set that included, in addition to the pieces already named, songs from the films. Charade, 10, That’s Life and The Big Waldo Pepper and TV themes from The Thorn Birds, Newhart, Hotel and Remington Steele.

Wilkins also brought some personality to the proceedings with his brief introductions. Introducing a segment on Mancini’s TV themes, Wilkins said that after hearing Mancini’s serene theme from the 1980s sitcom Newhart“I could feel my blood pressure drop.”

Eighteen members of YOLA, Youth Orchestra Los Angeles, had the chance to perform with the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra on “Crazy World” and pink Panther segment.

On Monday (June 24), the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles will honor Mancini’s centennial with an event featuring live performances by Dave Koz, Monica Mancini and Gregg Field, along with an all-star band. The evening will also include a Q&A panel with members of the Mancini family, as well as some surprise guest artists.

On August 4, music director, conductor and arranger Kevin Stites will explore Mancini’s music at the Ravinia Festival’s annual gala evening. Organized 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, Norm Lewis and Karen Mason.

On September 2, Edwin Outwater and the BBC Concert Orchestra will celebrate Mancini and his music at London’s Royal Albert Hall. Among the classics to perform are the themes from pink Panther and Peter Gunn, alongside gems from the lounge music and space-age pop genres that Mancini helped inspire, including tracks by Burt Bacharach, Les Baxter and Juan García Esquivel. The show will be broadcast live on BBC Radio.

On September 28, the Library of Congress in Washington, DC will honor Mancini’s 100th with a special concert at the Coolidge Theater of the Library of Congress.

this fall The Extraordinary Life of Henry Mancini: Official Graphic Novel will hit the shelves. The work, written by David Calcano and illustrated by the Fantoons studio, illustrates every step of Mancini’s journey.