Monica Mancini

THE JOHNNY MERCER EDUCATIONAL ARCHIVES

MONICA MANCINI

The Dreams of Johnny Mercer

This is Monica Mancini's first Mercer album on the Concord label. Fellow Johnny Mercer fans will recognize the Concord Label, started by Carl Jefferson as the home to Rosemary Clooney, Mel Torme, Scott Hamilton, Gene Harris, Ken Peplowski, Susannah McCorkle, Marian McPartland (including her wonderful JAZZ PIANO CD with Monica's dad - Henry Mancini), Carol Sloane, George Shearing and a bevy of others.

Monica now joins this esteemed circle of performers.

Almost two years ago she did another album, on another label with some of her dad Henry's and Johnny's pop hits: "Moon River", "Days of Wine and Roses", "Whistling Away the Dark", "Charade", and "Moment to Moment".

Concord treats us to an album with twelve Johnny Mercer numbers:

Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive (Arlen)
Something Tells Me (Manilow)
Skylark (Carmichael)
The Weekend of a Private Secretary (Hanighen)
With My Lover Besides Me (Manilow)
When October Goes (Manilow)
On the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe (Warren)
When the Meadow Was Bloomin' (Manilow)
It Had Better Be Tonight -Meglio Stasera (Mancini)....as in...Pink Panther
Love Is Where You Find It (Manilow)
At Last (Manilow)
Just Remember (Manilow)

Fellow Mercerphiles will appreciate the arrangements and Orchestra personnel that Mancini and her husband Gregg Field have put together. A great group of musicians made this studio gig, come alive on this high quality CD - as I would have expected nothing less of the folks now running the Concord label.

Monica's rendition of Barry Manilow's "When October Goes" was my personal fav, closely followed by "Skylark" and "The Weekend of a Private Secretary" . It has been over 60 years since Mildred Bailey made "Secretary" a household hummer, remember Red Norvo and his Orchestra and Jimmy Dorsey too!

Mancini does an outstanding job with these Mercer standards. Johnny, Hank, Bing, Mel, Hoagy, and Ella are most likely smiling down from the heavens at Monica- thanking her for passing the torch to another generation of Mercerphiles.

Ginger Mercer gave Barry lyrics that Johnny had written. Manilow added the music.

Something Tells Me - is not the same as the 1938 Harry Warren piece (Bert Firman and his British Orchestra/Guy Lombardo and his Royal Canadians/ Abe Lyman and his Californians/ Russ Morgan and his in the Morgan Manner orchestra/ Ruby Newman/ Jan Savitt and his Top Hatters/- remember Carlotta Dale!)

Love Is Where You Find It - should not be confused with the 1938 Pat O'Brien, John Payne/Margaret Lindsay (and not to forget Johnnie Scat Davis and Jimmie Fidler himself!) GARDEN OF THE MOON (Mercer-Al Dubin and Harry Warren)

Just Remember - is different from the 1937 tune of the same name by Carl Sigman and Johnny. Henry Hall and his orchestra made that a hit in the UK.

Steve Taksler
JohnnyMercer2002@hotmail.com

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