If ever anyone was predestined to lend the final polish to Henry Mancini's film and TV themes, then it must certainly have been none other than Quincy Jones. The melodies which provided the background music to over 120 films just kept buzzing around in one's head, and they very often remained far longer in one's memory than the often banal Hollywood film series for which they were written. These small musical gems all have one thing in common: they have a light touch of brass in their big band sound..And this is exactly where Quincy Jones stepped in. Thanks to his polished arrangements, these new interpretations blazed with a fire which was lacking in the simple film-music version. A jazzy rhythmic group plus soloists from Duke Ellington and Count Basie's circle and further enhanced by a few musicians with a more modern style such as Roland Kirk, Phil Woods and Gary Burton provided the icing on the cake which was missing in Henry Mancini's catchy tunes. Even 40 years later this album offers film fans, middle-of-the-road freaks and jazz enthusiasts alike the very best there is in this field: it's a marvellous disc - both to listen and to dance to..In the Sixties the Mercury Studios were renowned for their sound: in particular the placing of the microphones and the sound recording (often on magnetic film) had been perfected and this resulted in a recording technique which makes this re-issue the absolute cr?me de la cr?me.