Two rainy bits: "Ultimate Thunderstorm" and "Gentle Rain in a Pine Forest". The sticker on the front says "Contains Synthetic Silence", whatever that is. As the notes say, play at any speed, for different psychological effects. (Sound Library, Now Sound) LP, Vinyl record album

A strange 60s chapter in the career of trumpeter Chet Baker – but one that we sure like a heck of a lot! These sides were recorded as an answer to the big success of Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass over at A&M Records – and for the sessions, Chet's trumpet was backed by jaunty, brassy arrangements penned by Jack Nitzsche. And while it might be easy to dismiss the tunes as copycat sound-a-likes, they're really not – as Nitszche brings in a much fuller groove to most of the numbers than Herb Alpert ever did – more of a sunny LA pop feel that has the whole group really gliding along on bold waves of sound all topped off by Baker's horn – sounding stronger and more confident here than on most of his other recordings of the 60s! There's a definite Latin undercurrent to most of the numbers, but also a fair bit of mainstream pop instrumentation as well – a style that's bolder and not nearly as compressed as the A&M approach to Tijuana – and one that explodes with some youthful LA energies! 10 numbers in all, including "Flowers On The Wall", "Mexico", "Hot Toddy", "El Paso", "Come A Little Bit Closer", "Speedy Gonzales", "Cuando Calienta El Sol", and "24 Hours To Tulsa". LP, Vinyl record album

The second volume in Rhino's groovy set of TV cop show theme songs – put together with the Nick At Nite TV Land crew, and featuring a track selection that's hipper than you might think! There's a few on here that we could have done without, but there's more than enough great numbers to make the set worthwhile – especially because they haven't been reissued elsewhere. Titles include "Mannix" by Lalo Schifrin, "Charlie's Angels" by Jack Elliott, "77 Sunset Strip" by Warren Barker, "Vega$" by Dominic Frontiere, "Cannon" by John Parker, "Hart to Hart" by Mark Snow, "Hawaiian Eye" by Warren Barker, "Tenspeed & Brownshoe" by Mike Post, "Theme From Checkmate" by John Williams, and "Harry O" by The John Gregory Orchestra. 16 tracks in all! (Soundtracks, Now Sound) CD