A stunning jazz soundtrack from Piero Piccioni – much more like some of the classic French new wave jazz scores of the late 50s than some of his groovy, mod sounds to come later in the 60s! The instrumentation here is a beautiful mix of piano, bass, vibes, and some occasional stronger horns – used mostly on tracks that are short, but extremely haunting – very evocative, with lots of echoes of American crime jazz, but served up with the more subtle, more tonally rich qualities we love in the early years of Piccioni – stepping here directly from his roots in the Italian jazz scene, and delivering superb sounds throughout! This CD marks the first time the music has ever been issued – as there was an original 45rpm EP scheduled in the 60s, but never issued – and that is presented here with a huge amount of bonus tracks – 31 numbers in all that make for a fantastic soundscape in jazz. CD

One of the greatest soundtracks ever – a record that set a whole new standard for audio representation of a film! The mad music for the set was composed by Antonio Carlos Jobim, with lyrics by Vincius De Moraes – and performed by Luiz Bonfa on guitar – but despite such prime bossa pedigree, the whole thing's got a sound that goes way beyond the familiar – a crazy mix of batucada percussion, samba rhythms, bossa guitar, and loads of sound effects from the film – so much so that the first half of the record is almost a sound-for-sound replication of the first 20 minutes of the movie! The sound collage is amazing – an extremely unique approach to soundtrack representation, and one that's never been done so beautifully since. A truly breathtaking record, filled with mindblowing sounds – and an early example of the genius that would explode in 60s music in Brazil. Some key bossa classics are represented here in early versions – including "Felicidade", "O Nosso Amor", and "Manha De Carnaval" – but they're wrapped up in odd sounds and rhythms that really make them sound different! Plus, this CD also includes a 13-minute medley of tracks from the score, performed by Bola Sete at the 1966 Monterey Jazz Fest! CD

2 of the greatest soundtracks ever from Francois De Roubaix – both recorded in that magical year of 1967! First up on the set is Les Adventuriers – a mindblowingly wonderful score for a Robert Enrico film, and one that offers a unique blend of jazzy rhythms, western themes, and more – all tied together by an extremely haunting theme! Some tunes have spaghetti western-esque acoustic guitar and whistling, while others have a more Frenchy isolated piano, played with a slightly watery feel – and some others take on a much more driving, almost Francis Lai-like approach. De Roubaix score for Jean Pierre Melville's classic Le Samourai follows in a much darker mode – as moody and solitary as the film's main character, but graced with some warmer touches on piano, flute, and even a bit of organ – none of which are especially jazzy, but which color in the music with extremely evocative tones. Titles include "Laetitia Par Alain Delon", "Journal De Bord", "Enterrement Sous-Marin", "Acrobaties Aeriennes", "Hotel Sandwich", "Martey's", "Valerie", "Le Samourai", and "Le Destin De Costello". CD

A dark and extremely avant garde soundtrack from the great Ennio Morricone – one that's done in collaboration with his own Gruppo Improvvisazione Nuova Consonanza – an ensemble with roots in film scoring, but expressions that are more in the mode of 20th century avant! The music is a blend of free improvisation and more straight ahead jazz – with electric guitar, trumpet, violin, and percussion mixed with lots of weird effects and electronics – much more experimental than some of Morricone's more famous soundtracks of the time, and given a nice sense of direction from conductor Bruno Nicolai. The whole thing's incredibly spooky – one of the most turgid scores we've ever heard from the pen of Morricone – and the titles include "Sequita", "Evaporazione", "Dal Sogno E Ritorno", "Folle Folle", and "Notte E Misteri". Expanded version – with 21 tracks in all! CD