A landmark album of contemporary jazzy grooves – a set issued at the start of the century, and one of the first to really get a blend of classic elements right – after so many others were foundering around in too-remixed, too-programmed work in the 90s! For years, Nicola Conte was a seminal force in the new Italian scene of the 90s – working as a DJ, promoter, producer, and sometimes recording artist under the odd 12" single. Yet this album marks his first full effort – and after years of bubbling under in the Italian scene, Nicola emerged as a breathtaking mix of 60s bossa, soundtrack, and easy themes – put together with never a dull moment, and always a focus on the kind of mid and uptempo grooves that have been pushing the Italian and German scenes to reinvent older jazz, funk, and bossa. The record features great mixes from a few of Nicola's 12" singles, plus a wealth of excellent new material that really expands his groove wonderfully – with a totally real, totally honest sound that pushes past the gazillion retro remix throwaway albums that usually cluttered the dance racks Tracks include "Il Cerchio Rosso", "Dossier Omega", "Trappola Mortale", "Jazz Pour Dadine", and "Bossa Per Due". (New Grooves, Now Sound) LP, Vinyl record album

A combo session with more than enough excitement to warrant the exclamation point in the title – one of Henry Mancini's jazziest records ever, and a date that's filled with some great west coast players! The sound here is a hip extrapolation of the Mancini groove heard on crime jazz soundtracks like Peter Gunn and Mr Lucky – but it's taken to slightly leaner territory here, with a nice focus on the solo talents of the group members. There's still 11 players in the group – so the combo isn't exactly small – but the spacious Mancini arrangements allow each player to step out nicely with a voice of their own. The lineup includes Pete Candoli on trumpet, Dick Nash on trombone, Ted Nash on alto and flute, Art Pepper on clarinet, Ronny Lang on baritone, Bob Bain on guitar, and Larry Bunker on vibes – and Johnny Williams plays both piano and harpsichord, the latter of which sounds plenty darn groovy! Titles include Cy Coleman's wonderful "Playboy's Theme", plus "Castle Rock", "Everybody Blow", "Far East Blues", "Powdered Wig", and "Moanin". CD

Essentially the US release of Nicola Conte's Jet Sounds LP on Schema – with a few different tracks, but mostly the same lineup. Conte's a genius, and the album's a breathtaking mix of 60s bossa, soundtrack, and easy themes – put together with never a dull moment, and always a focus on the kind of mid and uptempo grooves that have been pushing the Italian and German scenes for the last 5 years. The record features tracks from a few of Nicola's 12" singles, plus a wealth of excellent new material that really expands his groove wonderfully – with a totally real, totally honest sound that pushes past the gazillion retro remix throwaway albums that you'll find stuffing the listening stations at the megastores! Tracks include "Fucco Fatuo", "Il Cerchio Rosso", "Dossier Omega", "Arabesque", "Mambo De Los Dandies", "Jazz Pour Dadine", and "The In Samba". (New Grooves, Now Sound) CD

Tadyuki Harada may not look like the consummate playboy on the cover of this set – but the jazz inside is groovy enough to grace the hippest bachelor pads in the 60s! The main focus here is on Tad's baritone sax – blown soulfully and straight, almost like a tenor – and backed with some cool Verve-like arrangements with a mod 60s feel! There's a bit of strings at points, but the instrumentation's pretty lean overall – often bossa-inspired in the rhythms, and featuring piano from the great Norio Maeda. Titles include versions of "The Playboy Theme", "Sunny", "Cinnamon & Clove", "Theme From The Monkees", "The Look Of Love", and "Constant Rain". (Jazz, Now Sound) CD