Moon River, arr. Wadsworth

Born Enrico Mancini in Cleveland’s Little Italy neighborhood, Henry Mancini (1924-1974) was a composer of numerous film and TV scores, won multiple Academy Awards, 20 Grammy Awards, and penned several of the most iconic songs of the 20th century. His earliest experience came as an arranger working for Big Band leaders including Benny Goodman and Glenn Miller. Following two years active duty in World War II, Mancini returned home to work with Miller again and was soon hired by Universal Pictures. Though he left the studio in 1958, he immediately struck up an important and fruitful relationship with director Blake Edwards. The pair would team up on Days of Wine and Roses, The Pink Panther and its sequels, 10, and, of course, Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961).
The signature number from Breakfast at Tiffany’s, “Moon River” won the Academy Award for Best Original Song and is currently rated #4 Best Song of All Time according to the American Film Institute. The song’s lyrics were authored by Johnny Mercer. They nostalgically reminisce to Mercer’s own childhood in the American South and the call of distant horizons, adventures, and amorous longing. Mercer and Mancini wrote the song specifically for Audrey Hepburn, the lead in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, though in later years dozens of other singers would capitalize upon its charms (none better than Andy Williams, for whom “Moon River” became a signature anthem). Tonight we hear the premiere of Zachary Wadsworth’s own arrangement of “Moon River.” According to Wadsworth, the song’s beauty comes from its simplicity, and “my main aim in arranging it was to preserve this and to honor the mid-century light jazz world that it evokes. I’ve used the guitar as the main accompaniment for the first verse (who, after all, can forget Audrey Hepburn strumming hers on the fire escape in Breakfast at Tiffany’s?). In lieu of Mancini’s original harmonica solo, I’ve substituted a high double bass solo. After that, the string quintet takes it away, first with a rich modulation, and then as a serene backdrop for the singer’s final verse.”

(c) Jason Stell