Kubernik: 'Dreamsville: Henry Mancini, Peter Gunn, and Music for TV Noir' Now Out!Dreamsville: Henry Mancini, Peter Gunn, and Music for TV Noir Now Out! 

By Harvey Kubernik 

BearManor Media has just published a terrific 318-page book, Dreamsville: Henry Mancini, Peter Gunn, and Music for TV Noirby Jon Burlingame. It’s listed on Amazon. 

amazon.com/Dreamsville-Henry-Mancini...

   Henry Mancini (1924-1994) is renowned as the Oscar- and Grammy-winning composer of such timeless standards as “Moon River” and “Days of Wine and Roses,” as well as such memorable instrumental themes as “The Pink Panther” and “Baby Elephant Walk.” But preceding all of them was the wildly popular theme from Peter Gunn, a television series whose soundtrack won the very first Grammy ever awarded for Album of the Year. 

   Award-winning author and journalist Jon Burlingame chronicles the backstory of Peter Gunn and how its music propelled Mancini to fame and fortune, launching a decades-long collaboration with filmmaker Blake Edwards that encompassed nearly 30 movies, from Breakfast at Tiffany’s to Victor / Victoria and beyond.

   Jon Burlingame (author of six books including The Music of James Bond and Music for Prime Time) relates the untold story of Peter Gunn and its companion series Mr. Lucky; examines the music Mancini wrote for both series and their chart-topping success as modern jazz albums; and tells how this 1958-61 period in TV history set the stage for one of the most remarkable careers of any American composer in the Twentieth Century. For more than 25 years, Burlingame has taught film-music history courses at the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music. As a producer, Burlingame is responsible for four volumes of music from the classic spy series The Man From U.N.C.L.E, and a series of albums of music from Quinn Martin television shows of the 1960s and ‘70s. 

    In a 2024 emailed correspondence I asked author and music historian Burlingame about Peter Gunn and Mancini. 

    “PETER GUNN was a seminal moment in TV history, the first time that original music for television was taken seriously and would become the basis for best-selling, Grammy-winning soundtrack albums. I have always loved the series, as well as its music, and as the Henry Mancini centennial was coming up in 2024, I wanted to chronicle the show and its music, something that (believe it or not) had never been done in-depth. The research and writing turned out to be one of the most fun projects I’ve ever done, and — I hope — an important addition to the documentation of the career of one of our most important American composers. People forget that Mancini was the first film composer to become a household name, due to his many popular songs and unprecedented role as a pops conductor on the orchestra circuit of the ‘60s, ‘70s and beyond. And PETER GUNN was the show that brought him together with filmmaker Blake Edwards and led, ultimately, to ‘Moon River,’ ‘Days of Wine and Roses,’ the ‘Pink Panther’ theme and so many other classic movie and TV scores.”

   Discovering the Peter Gunn detective series, starring Lola Albright (Edie Hart) and Craig Stevens (Peter Gunn) in 1958 and watching it weekly for a few years with my parents in Culver City, Ca. was mandatory viewing. It ran on NBC-TV from 1958-1960, and 1960-1961 on ABC-TV. 

  Gunn as a private eye who frequented a wharf-side jazz club with a jazz soundtrack backdrop checking out his girlfriend, nightclub singer Edie, while teaming or at odds with his cop pal Lieutenant Jacob, played by Herschel Bernardi.  

    The roaring “Peter Gunn” title theme grabbed me when I first heard it blaring from our TV. Since then, there’s been over 120 cover versions of it, including The Art of Noise Featuring Duane Eddy, King Curtis, Billy Vaughn and his Orchestra, Sandy Nelson, Paul Revere & the Raiders, the Cramps, Denny Freeman and the Cobras, Jeff Beck, Quincy Jones, Emerson, Lake and Palmer, and Clarence Clemmons. 

   In 1994, the record label Fresh Sound issued The Jazz Sound from Peter Gunn Music composed by Henry Mancini. The tunes were arranged by Maxwell Davis, Pete Candoli, and Bob Florence.  

    Mancini could be considered the first musician to compose modern jazz for the soundtrack of a filmed television series. 

    "This CD collects most of the material Mancini wrote for the late-'50s, noir-ish TV drama Peter Gunn,” wrote music journalist Stephen Cook in All Music Guide. “The innovative and appropriate jazz soundtrack includes arrangements by Pete Candoli, Maxwell Davis, and Bob Florence and features some of the best Los Angeles session players of the time (Bud Shank, Russ Freeman, Red Mitchell, etc.). Mancini takes up from his earlier soundtrack for Orson Welles' Touch of Evil with brass-heavy, crime jazz tunes like ‘Fallout!’ and rock & roll swing numbers like ‘Spook! and the title-track. The bulk of the material, though, is in a cool, West Coast jazz vein, including brisk swingers like ‘Blue Steel’ and breezy and mid-tempo cuts like ‘Goofin' at the Coffee House.’ Also included are the kind of sleepy-eyed lounge cuts Mancini excelled at, like ‘Dreamsville,’ ‘A Quiet Gass,’ and ‘Soft Sounds.’ This is an excellent collection and one that ranks with Mancini's other fine film and TV work from the '50s and '60s." 

. In 2024 I asked author Andrew Loog Oldham, producer and manager of the Rolling Stones 1963-1967 about the Mancini “Peter Gunn” landmark TV recording moment. “Henry Mancini: The Saul Bass of TV themes.”  

    The great thing about Henry Mancini, known to Hank by friends, was that he was always accessible to students and aspiring music journalists. I recall a 1974 college seminar at RCA Records on Sunset Boulevard, a second home to Mancini and his recording career, often scoring the movies of director/producer Blake Edwards, where he invited the class to a mixing session. 

    I then sat with him at a 1974 Bob Dylan/Band concert at the Forum in Inglewood and we discussed the group Cream and he praised the jazz/rock sounds of the late sixties/early seventies. That same year we found ourselves sitting in the same row at an Andre Previn recital at UCLA’s Royce Hall venue. He re-introduced himself to me, I said hello to Previn, we went to the same junior high school in Los Angeles, and Hank wanted to know if I was going to his yearly event at the Hollywood Bowl. I must have gone for an entire decade. What a bargain for $5.00 to hear his movie and TV catalog under the stars.    

    During 2024, 2 episodes of Peter Gunn are broadcast on Sundays on MeTV.  

    Gain additional insights into this groundbreaking sonic expedition by reading Dreamsville: Henry Mancini, Peter Gunn, and Music for TV Noir.    

Harvey Kubernik is the author of 20 books, including HollywoodShackJob:RockMusicInFilm and on Your Screen, published in 2004 by the University of New 

Mexico Press, and Docs That Rock, Music That Matters,” published in 2020 by Otherworld Cottage Industries.  The post Kubernik: 'Dreamsville: Henry Mancini, Peter Gunn, and Music for TV Noir' Now Out! first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

TOMORROW X TOGETHER at the Crypto.com ArenaLos Angeles has long been at the forefront of embracing different genres of music and entertainment. K-pop especially has received a warm welcome from the city. One group that has consistently seen the most appreciation is the rising Gen Z group TOMORROW X TOGETHER -- also known as TXT. Last year, the group (composed of five members: Yeonjun, Soobin, Beomgyu, Taehyun, and HueningKai) sold out two nights at the BMO Stadium with their 2nd world tour ‘ACT : SWEET MIRAGE.’ Replicating this massive success, they sold out the Crypto.com Arena on May 21 and 22nd with their 3rd world tour 'TOMORROW X TOGETHER WORLD TOUR .'



The group has had whirlwind success since its debut in 2019 by HYBE (formally known as BigHit Entertainment). TXT is the second boy band to debut for the company after megastars BTS. In July 2022, they became the first K-pop group to perform at LOLLAPALOOZA in Chicago and returned a year later in August 2023 to become the first K-pop group to headline the festival.



The group's eclectic use of genres, including sprinkles of R&B, electronic, pop-rock and hip-hop, have been an essential part of their thriving career. Their latest project Minisode 3: Tomorrow landed in third place on the Billboard 200 chart and has dominated the top album sales and Artist 100 charts. A big triumph for a Korean singing act in the U.S. market.  



From their stunning music videos and photo concepts, the band's visual storytelling was one of the things I was most looking forward to seeing live. And they did not disappoint. As you entered the area we were greeted by big LCD screens that transported us into their world. The theme of the tour is the band’s commitment to move forward together towards a hopeful future, a promise to the fans. It also continues the narrative of TOMORROW X TOGETHER's minisode 3: TOMORROW that 'tomorrow with you is a source of salvation and hope.' 









Deafening screams and dog woof chants (an fun homage to their track "Cat & Dog") filled the arena as TXT made their grand entrance. Wearing white cloaks, the group made a striking appearance emerging from an elevated platform in the middle of the catwalk stage to the tune of "Deja Vu." Some MOA's (the fanbase name and acronym for Moments of Alwaysness) might be disappointed to hear that the group's background dancers aren't part of this tour run, but I think this created an intimate atmosphere. You could admire the intricate dance moves of each performance and listen to their vocal harmonies. 



For not being fluent in English, I applaud TXT for the time they spent on stage interacting with their fans and playing games. Their youthful energy and charismatic personalities brightened up the room. 



Each arc of the show featured different themes and wardrobe changes. For “Sugar Rush Ride” and “Farewell, Neverland” the group paid homage to their their Korean heritage by wearing hanbok clothing and incorporating the traditional Korean fan dance, buchaechum.



Unfortunately, Beomgyu had to leave the stage mid-show after suffering from a nosebleed. But like a champ, came back to finish off the show strong. Beomgyu, alongside HueningKai and Taehyun, had everyone singing along to the snappy chorus of "Quarter Life." Soobin and Yeonjun next had a turn on stage performing a seductive dance to their R&B duet "The Killa (I Belong to You). Keeping things interesting, TXT had a rock segment with the head-banging songs “Puma,” “Good Boy Gone Bad” and “Growing Pain.” HueningKai had MOA's screaming with joy when he pretended to play a fake electric guitar. The band's 27-song set list featured all the favorites from the euphoric “Chasing That Feeling,” to the catchy “LO$ER = L."



As the night was coming to an end, each member of the group took time to address the fans in their native language. Each sweetly thanked the fans for all the support and called LA a second home. TOMORROW X TOGETHER had the entire arena dancing til the very end, finishing off their set with the fan favorites "Miracle," "Cat & Dog" and "MOA Diary (Dubaddu Wari Wari).













For more on TOMORROW X TOGETHER, visit txt.ibighit.com.



Photo Credit: Curtesy of BIGHIT MUSICThe post TOMORROW X TOGETHER at the Crypto.com Arena first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

From Spotify’s battle with music publishers to the DOJ’s antitrust lawsuit against Live Nation… it’s MBW’s Weekly Round-UpThe five biggest stories to hit our headlines over the past seven days…
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How strong is the case against Live Nation? An anti-trust attorney weighs inWill the Department of Justice be able to force the breakup of Live Nation and Ticketmaster? How strong is its antitrust case filed yesterday.....
The post How strong is the case against Live Nation? An anti-trust attorney weighs in appeared first on Hypebot.

MIDiA Global Music Projections 2024-2031: On the road to $100 BillionDiscover how the rise of the Global South is set to revolutionize the music industry through 2031. Here are MIDiA Research's projections and insights into the future of global music.,,,,
The post MIDiA Global Music Projections 2024-2031: On the road to $100 Billion appeared first on Hypebot.

Take the ‘State of Data in The Music Industry’ Survey & Get a Free ReportWater & Music is furthering its mission to be the most comprehensive source of data for the music business with a new survey about how the industry collects and uses data.....
The post Take the ‘State of Data in The Music Industry’ Survey & Get a Free Report appeared first on Hypebot.

Warner Music Latina inks global deal with Dominican artist Tokischa to launch new record label, SOLThe deal is also supported by Atlantic Records
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BURL Audio 2024 Songwriting Contest: It's Time to Meet the Excellent JudgesHere at BURL Audio we have had the great pleasure of working with some of the best musicians, vocalists, producers and engineers in the music industry. A few of them have been gracious enough to lend their time to selecting their favorite songs in the BURL Audio 2024 Songwriting contest, "Come Together".

We have had some truly amazing entries and it is really hard to decide which songs are "The Best." This is a very subjective process. Thank you to all who have entered. We will be announcing the winners during the first week of June.

Asdru Sierra: Born and raised in Los Angeles, Asdrubal "Asdru" Sierra is the co-founder of the multi-Grammy Award-winning,  Ozomatli, spending the last 20 years as the group’s lead vocalist, trumpet and keyboardist. and songwriter. As part of Ozomatli, Sierra garnered two Best Latin Rock/Alternative Album of the Year Grammy Awards: One Latin Grammy, three Latin Billboard Awards. https://spotify.link/XnCNDXZemJb

Tammi Brown: Tammi performs with some of the most notable Music Industry Icons known to the world, including renowned Music Producer, Quincy Jones, Lauren Monroe & Rick Allen (Def Leppard), Alan Parsons Project, Stanley Jordan, Dr. Maya Angelou, Joan Baez, Spyro Gyra, and Eric Bibb to name a few. Ms. Brown received the prestigious award of ‘Artist of the Year’  in 2024 presented by the Arts Commission for Santa Cruz County. She is currently a vocalist for the ten-time Grammy and Lifetime Achievement Award winner, Bobby McFerrin, in his group Motion.https://www.instagram.com/tammibrownmusic/

http://www.tammibrown.com/

Chad Gordon is a Grammy Nominated, Multi-Platinum Engineer and Producer based out of Los Angeles, CA. Chad cut his teeth at EASTWEST Studios in Hollywood, CA, and has been very fortunate to have worked with the biggest names in music over the past decade. He bleeds BURL GREEN, to the point that everyone who knows him, thinks he's a damn leprechaun! xchadgordonx.com instagram.com/xchadgordonx

Etienne Franc is THE premiere bass player extraordinaire from Santa Cruz California. Etienne is Burl Audio's go-to-guy when we need the best, most professional session musician who rules the school in every genre of music. Etienne is a bassist, guitarist, singer, and rapper, but most of all he understands and is a master of SOUL POWER. He is bassist for L.A based Check in the Dark, and with Check in the Dark has released two albums independently. Their music was featured on ABC's Extreme makeover - home edition, and on ESPN. Check in the Dark toured and recorded with Gossip Girl's Leighton Meester.https://www.instagram.com/the_roksta_orkestra_?igsh=NGVhN2U2NjQ0Yg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

Allison Piccion graduated from Berklee College of Music with a BA of Music in Film Scoring and achieved her Master's of Music in Composition for Screen from the Royal College of Music, London. Allison is currently a professor for Thinkspace Education as a post-graduate composition and songwriting instructor. Originally from Ohio, Allison is a Los Angeles based film composer, orchestrator, arranger, performer, voiceover artist, singer/songwriter and recording musician - rocking keys, synths, vocals, saxophone and a wireless keytar! She regularly performs with her four piece all-female power group, L.A. Dollz. https://www.allisonpiccioni.com/The post BURL Audio 2024 Songwriting Contest: It's Time to Meet the Excellent Judges first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Spotify’s battle with songwriters and music publishers is getting complicated. Here’s a recap.MBW Explains what's happened, who has said what so far, and what could happen next...
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DoJ calls for breakup of the Live Nation and Ticketmaster ‘flywheel’The U.S. Department of Justice and 30 states called for Live Nation and Ticketmaster’s breakup Thursday for allegedly using their dominance in live music to create an “unlawful monopoly” that. Continue reading
The post DoJ calls for breakup of the Live Nation and Ticketmaster ‘flywheel’ appeared first on Hypebot.

Full text of Justice Department Live Nation-Ticketmaster statementRead the full text of the statement released by the US Department of Justice on why they are suing to break up Live Nation and Ticketmaster for alleged monopolistic practices that harm fans. artists and independent venues.
The post Full text of Justice Department Live Nation-Ticketmaster statement appeared first on Hypebot.

Watch replay of DoJ Live Nation Ticketmaster Anti-trust announcement hereThe United States Justice Department is expected to announce an antitrust action today at 11 AM ET that could lead to the breakup of Live Nation and Ticketmaster. You can watch it live here.....
The post Watch replay of DoJ Live Nation Ticketmaster Anti-trust announcement here appeared first on Hypebot.

Beyoncé sued for alleged copyright infringement over sample on ‘Break My Soul’A group of former musicians in New Orleans say 'Break My Soul' infringed their copyright by way of a sample from Big Freedia
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MIDiA Research 2024-2031 global music forecasts | Rise of the Global SouthIt appears to be the time of year for music forecasts. Today MIDiA is proud to announce the release of our global music forecasts report, which marks the tenth year of us doing these! The full 75+ page report and 40+ page datasheet for 45+ countries and regions, is available to MIDiA clients and for purchase here. And for the first time, we have also created a public page for the forecasts where you can watch a video of the music forecasts team talking about some of the big themes, and there’s a free summary report to download too. Of course, data without context are just numbers, so here follows some of the key themes and thinking that underpins MIDiA’s music forecasts.

First off, just to showcase our ‘creds’, this is how our forecast from last year for 2023 total revenues lined up with the actual figure. Yes, you read right, our forecast was just half a percentage point off from what the actual number proved to be! And going back further than that, the average variance from 2019 to 2023 for our forecasts for 2023 streaming revenues was just 6% from the actual figure. So, hopefully, that will give you some confidence that we know what we’re talking about 

With that little flex out of the way, onto this year’s edition…

2023 was a positive year for the global recorded music market. Crucially, it was a year in which the industry demonstrated its ability to diversify revenue growth with strong performance across not only streaming, but also physical, performance and expanded rights. Streaming remains the beating heart of revenue and will remain so for the forecast period covered in the report, but it now exists as one part of a robust, diversified revenue portfolio. The strong growth in 2023 should not be taken lightly. It came against the backdrop of uncertainty in the wider global economy and geo-political turmoil. What is more, subscriber growth continued at a good pace, despite the first wave of major price increases in the history of music subscriptions.

All these factors point to a recorded music market that has demonstrated its inherent consumer appeal, even in challenging times. 

However, it would be wrong to assume that this is an industry without its fair share of challenges. The proliferation of new artists with the democratisation of the means of production and distribution has put the industry’s ecosystem under a level of strain it was not designed for. Bigger artists aren’t getting as big as they once were (the reality distortion field that is Taylor Swift aside) and smaller artists are struggling to make streaming pennies add up. Meanwhile, everyone is struggling to cut through and DSPs, social platforms and rightsholders are bickering over how much music is worth. All of these factors of course, are not isolated events. They are inter-dependent and represent the birthing of a new era for the industry. A coming bifurcation of the industry between the traditional streaming-centred business on one side, and the continued rise of a more social and fan-focused business on the other. And we’ve got a number for that. In fact, we’ve got a lot of numbers for that, in the shape our first ever bifurcation forecast in the report.

We have also for the first time forecasted expanded rights, which along with our non-DSP and physical formats forecasts, mean that we also have a fan economy forecast, to help paint a picture of what tomorrow’s, transformed music business will look like. 

When you add these together with all the other components of the recorded music business, music industry revenues will reach $100 billion by 2031 in retail terms. Recorded music growth will be defined by strong performance across most formats, however streaming will add most revenue between 2023 and 2031 to reach three quarters of all revenues. Global music subscribers hit 737.9 million in 2023, adding more subscribers than in 2022. Music subscribers will break the one billion mark in 2027 and continue to grow, driven by Global South markets.

One of the key themes in the report, as reflected by its title, is the rise of the Global South. Global South markets will drive a growing share of growth, especially in user terms, though western markets will still dominate global revenues due to higher ARPU. Perhaps most significantly of all, China will become the second largest recorded music market by 2031. The US will remain the top subscription revenue market in 2031 due to high ARPU, but China will become second due to subscriber growth.

ARPU – it’s not just about price

With streaming being the majority of revenues, now and by 2031, ARPU is fast becoming the music industry’s key metric. Indeed, one of the key conversation points around streaming is price increases and their ARPU impact. Unfortunately, it is not as simple as forecasting forward an annual average price, much as we would like it to be, because it would make our job much easier if we could just say ‘we’re assuming an average of x%  

price increase across the period’. But we’d be letting our clients down if we did that, because ARPU does not work in such a simplistic way. 

It is instead shaped by: 1) price; 2) product mix; 3) free trials; 4) churn; 5) retention; 6) regions. 

One of the most important, and sadly too often overlooked, components of ARPU is average subscriber months (ASM) i.e., how many months a year an average subscriber is subscribed. In a fast-growing market, ASM is lower as many of the subscribers at the end of the year were not subscribers at the start of the year. The inverse is true of mature markets. 

Price increases have a direct impact on ASM because they affect retention (i.e., more people are likely to churn because of higher prices) and acquisition (i.e., fewer people are likely to subscribe because of higher prices). What is more, price increases have not had an equally proportionate impact on different tiers. Because price increases are often applied in full dollar amounts, the difference between cheaper tiers (e.g., Student Plan) and standard premium is narrowing, making those lower tiers less appealing.

Global ARPU is also shaped by regional shifts. For example, the price can go up by exactly the same proportion in Asia Pacific as North America, but if the former adds more subscribers than the latter, its overall lower average ARPU will pull down global ARPU. 

This is why MIDiA’s ARPU model considers all these factors, as well as the potential impact of ‘super premium’. If we didn’t do this we’d end up with a bigger number, but not a better number.

If you like what you’ve seen so far, go check out the free summary report, and if you’re a client, go check out the full thing!

Key Songs In The Life Of… Max LousadaMBW hands our turntable over to Max Lousada, Global CEO of Recorded Music at Warner Music Group
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