Henry Mancini's music refreshed by Harmonie Ensemble/New York

Harmonie Ensemble/New York (HE/NY) are a classical music group with an eclectic repertoire which includes what they describe as "symphonic jazz".

Under conductor Steven Richman, they have performed and recorded a widely acclaimed interpretation of George Gershwin's - the 1924 piece which established that genre - as well as music by Stravinsky, Dvorak and Copland. They have now turned their attention to a less obvious, but inspired, choice: Henry Mancini's music for , an American TV series that ran from 1958 to 1961.

Mancini's collaboration with the show's creator, Blake Edwards, did much to forge the now indissoluble association between screen "noir" detectives and West Coast jazz. The composer used many of the top jazz musicians in Los Angeles for the sessions, including Shelly Manne on drums, Conte Candoli on trumpet and Victor Feldman on vibraphone.

Mancini released two albums of the scores under his own name: in 1959 and later the same year. Many of the themes - along with some from the next Edwards/Mancini TV collaboration, - have been covered by many jazz artists.

The title theme from - with its memorable twang guitar riff - became known worldwide from a hit cover version by Duane Eddy in 1960. The Blues Brothers revived it in 1980, and in 1985 Art of Noise updated it with electronic keyboards, with guest Eddy reprising his guitar part from 1960.

That theme remains as instantly recognisable as anything Mancini wrote - and that includes , , and the theme - but the other pieces were subtler compositions. Jazz musicians tend to take the themes and changes as departure points for small-group improvisation, but HE/NY have gone back to the original arrangements for a larger band.

HE/NY's refreshes the music but remains faithful to the original dynamics, right down to copying the sequence of the first 11 tracks on album - the 12th, , is omitted - and appending , , and from the second album.