Most musicians labor a lifetime without receiving a Grammy award. Henry Mancini was awarded 20. (two-zero, twenty, no misprint). The original Mancini recordings consistently exhibited two traits: lush orchestration, often with strings and chorus, and some of the most enjoyable and memorable pop melodies ever scored.  Well, the near-incomparable melodies are still here, of course, but now in a context of a tighter, smaller, hotter ensemble.  The arrangements are simply killer, as one would expect from Mr. Grusin, and the surround-sound engineering is as well done as any I've encountered; subtle but readily apparent use of the rear channels to expand the soundstage without moving the listener out of the audience and onto the bandstand.  Some of the more obscure Mancini compositions are covered, a nice touch.  One minor criticism: "The Days of Wine and Roses" as originally done was so beautiful a song that even Mr. Grusin fails to impress with his instrumental rearrangement, which actually is excellent if not referenced to the original piece. Easily five star stuff. My thanks to Mr. Grusin and all those involved with making a recoring of rare quality that I'll enjoy for years.