A Warm Shade of Ivory


A Warm Shade of Ivory is a 1969 album by American composer and arranger Henry Mancini issued by RCA Records.
The album peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Album Chart on 2 August 1969.
Mancini's arrangement of Nino Rota’s "Love Theme from Romeo and Juliet" topped the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart on June 28, 1969, and remained there for two weeks.

Reception

Greg Adams reviewed the album for Allmusic and wrote that it "focuses on his skill as a piano soloist". Adams noted that Mancini's "lush orchestrations are reminiscent of Mantovani, as piano notes sparkle on the surface of immense waves of strings...the music is not fundamentally different from his typical fare, and encompasses his usual assortment of traditional and adult pop melodies and film themes". Adams concluded that the album was "a lovely, contemplative collection that combines Mancini's skills in new and unequivocally successful ways".
High Fidelity magazine reviewed the album in July 1969 and wrote that "Underneath the piano lies a rich tapestry of orchestration that denotes Mancini's true artistry".

Track listing

  1. "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning" – 2:48
  2. "Cycles" – 3:05
  3. "Moment to Moment" – 2:54
  4. "A Day in the Life of a Fool" – 3:30
  5. "Watch What Happens" – 3:20
  6. "By the Time I Get to Phoenix" – 3:16
  7. "Love Theme from Romeo and Juliet" – 2:33
  8. "The Windmills of Your Mind" – 3:00
  9. "When I Look in Your Eyes" – 2:38
  10. "Meditation " – 3:09
  11. "Dream a Little Dream of Me" – 3:15

Personnel

;Production