The Blues and the Beat

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Work

The Blues and the Beat was the fourth album Henry Mancini made for RCA Victor, after the records built around Peter Gunn and The Mancini Touch. It was recorded in Hollywood in February 1960. In the sleeve notes Mancini wrote that jazz consists of two parts, the blues and the beat. The first side holds the bluesy numbers, the second the swinging ones.

For the blues numbers, four horns, trumpets and trombones provided a dark sound in Smoke Rings and Mood Indigo. On the beat side, Pete Candoli's trumpet drove Sing, Sing, Sing almost to a frenzy. Billboard praised the unusual instrumentation, but Ralph Gleason thought the record a gimmick. In 1961 the album won the first Grammy for Best Jazz Performance by a Large Group.

Listening

Track list

1. 1The Blues2:45Apple Music ↗
2. 2Smoke Rings3:23Apple Music ↗
3. 3Misty3:42Apple Music ↗
4. 4Blue Flame2:50Apple Music ↗
5. 5After Hours3:12Apple Music ↗
6. 6Mood Indigo3:10Apple Music ↗
7. 7The Beat3:12Apple Music ↗
8. 8Big Noise from Winnetka2:45Apple Music ↗
9. 9Alright, Okay, You Win3:05Apple Music ↗
10. 10Tippin' In3:52Apple Music ↗
11. 11How Could You Do A Thing Like That To Me3:37Apple Music ↗
12. 12Sing, Sing, Sing3:15Apple Music ↗

30-second previews via Apple Music. Listen to the whole album on Apple Music ↗