Shelly Manne and Jack Marshall – Sounds Unheard Of!

Two musicians and an unusual proposal

The surprise in Sounds Unheard Of! begins with its personnel: Shelly Manne and Jack Marshall perform as a duo. Marshall proposed the idea, as Manne recalled on the original jacket. They had worked together before, but a full album for guitar and percussion created a particular set of possibilities. The guitar could carry a melody and suggest its harmony; the percussionist could establish a different relationship with each piece. Manne had far more available than a conventional drum kit. From a very small number of performers, the project opens into a wide range of instrumental combinations and musical decisions.

Recorded at Contemporary Records in Los Angeles in 1962, the album was produced by Lester Koenig and engineered by Howard Holzer. Vernon Duke, composer of “April In Paris” and “Autumn In New York”, wrote the liner notes. The musicians described their intentions in musical terms: the unusual resources were to serve the songs. Holzer's technical commentary also states that no overdubbing was used. The sounds were produced by the two performers themselves. That detail gives the record an additional point of interest, since the range of percussion belongs to one player coordinating his hands and feet rather than to several separately recorded parts.

An inventory that changes with every song

The original sleeve identifies the sound sources used on individual tracks. “Poinciana” includes Boo-Bam tube drums, castanets, finger cymbals and bamboo slit sticks. For “By Myself”, the equipment includes mallets made with knitting needles and rubber balls, an ashtray and a microphone stand. “Stormy Weather” uses struck piano strings with the pedal held down. The instrument list almost becomes a second kind of score, describing how Manne approaches each musical situation. Familiar song titles remain points of reference while their surroundings change, creating a sequence in which the selection of an object or instrument is itself part of the arrangement.

Marshall changes his approach too. The sleeve describes flamenco techniques in “Poinciana”, arpeggios associated with Fernando Sor in “My Funny Valentine”, and a reference to Django Reinhardt in “Night And Day”. His guitar therefore provides an evolving musical voice alongside Manne's changing equipment. In “Begin The Beguine”, a specially tuned Spanish guitar is itself struck with timpani mallets as a percussion instrument. “Makin' Whoopee” returns Manne to the basic jazz drum setup. The movement between familiar and less familiar methods gives the album variety without abandoning the common framework supplied by its twelve compositions.

Standards provide the common ground

The repertoire includes “The Continental”, “I'll Remember April” and “The Boy Next Door” alongside “My Funny Valentine” and “Stormy Weather”. “The Continental” comes from The Gay Divorcee, while “The Piccolino” belongs to Top Hat. Both originated in the film-musical world of the 1930s. Here they enter a much smaller setting, carried by two musicians and their choices. Listeners familiar with the melodies can follow how much recognition remains when the instrumentation changes. The songs offer continuity across the programme, even as the performers alter the relationship between melodic statement and rhythmic response from one selection to the next.

The album also belongs to the early history of stereo as an experience for home listeners. Its unusual design lent itself to demonstration, while the repertoire supplied a musical sequence to follow. One approach is to listen first for Marshall's handling of the melodies, then return with attention directed towards Manne's changing resources. Both men were versatile studio professionals: Marshall worked as a guitarist, arranger and composer, while Manne combined studio activity with his own jazz groups and club. Their partnership continued beyond this project. In 1966 they released another duo album, Sounds!, extending the possibilities of their two-person collaboration.

The Analogue Productions edition

This Analogue Productions reissue presents Sounds Unheard Of! on a 180-gram LP playing at 33⅓ rpm. Bernie Grundman handled mastering and lacquer cutting at Bernie Grundman Mastering. The publisher identifies the original analog master tape as the source. The recording itself carries Howard Holzer's engineering credit; Grundman's work belongs to the later edition. The original release appeared in Contemporary's Popular series under catalogue numbers M5006 and S9006. That background helps locate a record occupying an unusual position in the label's catalogue, with its duo format and explicitly documented approach to instrumental colour.

Quality Record Pressings manufactures the LP, and Stoughton Printing supplies a tip-on gatefold jacket in the style of the original presentation. The programme retains the twelve album tracks. For a jazz collection, the release offers a distinctive combination: two experienced musicians, widely known compositions and an arrangement concept that reconsiders the relationship between melody and percussion on every selection. The original sleeve's detailed instrument descriptions make particularly useful companion reading, translating many of those choices into tangible objects and playing techniques. They invite a return to the music with a more informed sense of how two performers created the different settings heard across the album.

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Musicians

Participants and documented credit status. Track references correspond to the tracklist.

Duo on all twelve selections; Manne’s percussion instruments change by track. The original sleeve states that no overdubs were used.