Breakfast At Tiffany's

Those seeking Barney Kessel’s legendary jazz stylings should look elsewhere. As a guitarist in the ‘50s, Kessel was renowned for his cool, bop-inspired playing in small quartets on sessions with the Contemporary label. But in the early ‘60s he signed with Reprise and embarked on a series of pop records. This was hardly new territory for Kessel, as he’d been backing pop musicians for years, and was a first-call guitarist for pop titans like Phil Spector; but as a front-man, this was a break from the jazz sessions he’d previously led. On his debut for Reprise, Kessel reinterpreted Henry Mancini’s soundtrack for Breakfast at Tiffany’s with a septet that included the superb playing of Paul Horn on saxophone and flute. This is a fair distance from the harder jazz Kessel had been recording, but not nearly as out-and-out pop as his next album, Bossa Nova. Here he leans on the jazz roots of Mancini’s compositions and swings some original solos on “The Big Blow Out” and “Loose Caboose.” Surprisingly, the soundtrack’s centerpiece, “Moon River,” is rendered pedestrian here, as if Kessel couldn’t find anything new to say with it. This album is likely to disappoint those seeking hard-bop, in line with the guitarist’s earlier works, but if you seek a variation on the original soundtrack, this is worth hearing. This album is also available on CD as a 3-fer with Bossa Nova and Contemporary Latin Rhythms. [©2011 hyperbolium dot com]

People should just realize that this is NOT THE SOUNDTRACK to the film before purchasing. It's your fault if you buy it before checking it out and realizing, and I'm not going to sympathize. Good job, Barney Kessel! I like the album cover, too.

I got this because I LOVE Breakfast at Tiffany's! And then I was all like "who the hell is Barney Kessel"? Such a misrepresentation! Who likes jazz flute anyway?!?! Hasn't everyone seen the Anchor Man? Jazz flut is not cool duh.

This album is a nice tribute to the original Mancini soundtrack as well as the film itself. I have enjoyed this album over martinis with friends and I have received many inquiries about the album. I would recommend this to others.

Everybody is right, this is not the same versions of the music from the movie- it's better. Because here in America, we've created something called Jazz music that most people here don't appreciate. If you're looking for the real movie soundtrack- perhaps you should look elsewhere, but if you're looking for something insightful to listen to- perhaps something that will expand your knowledge, then give this a try. While you're at it- try some more Barney Kessel. Take a listen to some Charlie Parker, or some Mozart if you get really curious. But please, don't insult my hero by bashing this beautiful American music that we call jazz, something that he devoted his life to.

This music is incredibly soothing, beautiful, and well-composed. The previous review is correct -it is the score for the movie, and as such it transports the listener into Holly Golightly's New York atmosphere. For any lover of the movie, it should create the same mood that one feels when watching the film. Anyone looking for a soundtrack to the movie can stop here: there is not one, because the movie contains only one actual song with lyrics: "Moon River". Since a soundtrack with only one song would be pointless, only this score and a different version, from the official movie, exist.

I enjoyed this album. It worked wonderfully at a dinner party I recently hosted. It's not a 'Breakfast at Tiffany's' soundtrack but a jazzy remix of the work. Very lounge-y and enjoyable.

Just to clarify, this is the music from the movie, but it is NOT the same version. It is just a different, more jazzy version of the songs. Personally I prefer the real soundrack, but this sounds pretty good.

this is definitly not music from breakfast at tiffany's really bad

It's the score to Breakfast At Tiffany's. Maybe not the most exciting music, but definitely not a misrepresentation. What REMAINS a mystery to me, is where you learned to spell.