Hard to tell if these are new versions of songs, or simply ones lifted from Barry's UA soundtracks – but from the notes and the music, the album seems to be a unique one. Barry's sounding nice and lean here, working his way through his own work – like "The James Bond Theme", "Goldfinger", "From Russia With Love", and "Zulu Stomp" – plus tracks like "Spanish Harlem", "Moody River", "Cherry Pink & Apple Blossom White", and "Baubles, Bangles, & Beads". (Soundtracks, Now Sound) LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent gimmick from the United Artists label – a way of mixing their strong run of 60s soundtrack hits with the world of jazz – thanks to Count Basie and his group taking on a whole host of themes from the successful James Bond films! Count Basie brings a soulful swing to the work of John Barry, who scored most of these cuts – hitting hard on the tracks with his own smoking piano, and an orchestra filled with some of his best players – including Al Grey on trombone, Eric Dixon on saxes, and Freddie Greene on guitar – plus guest tenor work from Eddie Lockjaw Davis, an artist who wasn't credited on the session at he time. Arrangements are by Chico O'Farrill and George Williams – and titles include "Thunderball", "From Russia With Love", "007", "Girl Trouble", and "Goldfinger". (Jazz, Now Sound) LP, Vinyl record album

A great take on the sound of Hollywood – one that comes from a host of classic instrumental albums of the 50s and 60s – most of which feature new versions of famous soundtrack themes! Many of the cuts here are decidedly leaner, and almost hipper, than the originals – and the compositions run from the best crime/thriller years of the 50s – up to the coolest late 60s styles, including some of the more European-influenced ones. 18 tracks in all – including "Your Zowie Face" by Nelson Riddle, "Moon River" by Henry Jerome, "Barbarella" by Ferrante & Teicher, "Beat Girl" by John Barry, "Theme From The Apartment" by Tito Rodriguez, "Cool" by Martin Denny, "You Gotta Taste All The Fruit" by Leroy Holmes, "A Man & A Woman/Live For Life" by Billy May, "Experiment In Terrory" by Al Caiola, and "Watch What Happens" by Denny McLain. CD

A funky gem from 70s Poland – heavy grooves from maestro Henryk Debich, served up in a range of soulful styles! The tunes here are all instrumental – and range from Barry White-styled tracks, to big band funk, to other more complicated numbers with a soundtrack vibe – all laid out back to back in a really fresh-felling set! There's plenty of jazz in the lineup – and most tracks have some sort of a solo, on instruments that include tenor, trumpet, flute, alto, and even a bit of electric harpsichord. Titles are a mix of originals and some groovy covers – and tunes include "Shaft", "Chameleon", "Gry", "Bez Metalu", "Na Opak", "Standard In B", "Oscypka", and "Badz Wieczorem W Dyskotece". (Jazz, Now Sound) LP, Vinyl record album

A pretty nice set of "mood jazz in hi fi" – featuring Don on the mellophone, trumpet, and vibes – working with a surprisingly hip group that features Bill Evans, Hal McKusick, Paul Motian, and Barry Galbraith. A number of tunes feature backings by a vocal choir of 6 voices – dreamily setting a field of sound for the main soloists to work through – creating a style that actually works better here than some of Elliott's straighter jazz sides of the time. Titles include "A Waltz", "Blue Waltz", "Poinciana", "Summer Scene", "Tired Of Me", and "A Million Dreams Ago". Quite nice, with some dark and modern edges that you wouldn't expect! (Jazz, Now Sound) LP, Vinyl record album

Although there were plenty of easy and studio musicians who tried to cash in on the success of the Bond-era spy soundtracks, few did it as well as Billy Strange! He gets a helping hand here from Les Baxter and a boatload of west coast session greats like Carol Kaye, Tommy Tedesco, Dennis Budimir, Don Randi, Leon Russell, Hal Blaine and even Glen Campbell, on a bevy of popular spy and action themes – like "Thunderball", "Man Alone", "I Spy", "Get Smart", "Goldfinger", "The Ipcress File", "Our Man Flint", "OO7", "Run Spy Run", "The Rockford Files" and "The Prisoner" – all done by Strange with that great twangy guitar sound that he already had in the first place, and which was probably ripped off by John Barry for the Bond scores! CD

With Winter on soprano and vocals; David Darling on cello and vocals; Paul McCanless on oboe, english horn, contrabass, sarrusophone, and vocals; Ralph Towner on guitars and vocals; Herb Bushler on bass; and Collin Walcott on percussion; plus guests including Billy Cobham, Barry Altschul, and others. (Jazz, Now Sound) LP, Vinyl record album