With John Scofield on guitar, Geri Allen on keys, Michael Formanek on bass, Daniel Humair on drums, and Jerry Gonzalez on percussion. (Jazz, Soundtracks) LP, Vinyl record album

One of Burt Bacharach's finest moments, and a soundtrack that we never tire of hearing! Burt wrote all the tunes – and the album's a wonderful romp, with lots of odd twists and turns that are quite different from Burt's usual bag (baby!), but which still have all of the charm of his best work. A few performances on the set are by Herb Albert & The Tijuana Brass, who do the completely chaotic "Casino Royale Theme" – and the lovely Dusty Springfield sings a versions of "Look Of Love" that has to be the best ever recorded! Other tracks include "Home James, Don't Spare The Horses", "Money Penny Goes For Broke", "The Venerable Sir James Bond", and "Hi There Miss Goodthighs". This expanded 50th anniversary edition is different than any of the other bonus versions on the market – as it first features the full album in stereo, then includes another 22 mono tracks, many never heard before – tunes from the film and a few singles – with titles that include "Sitar Background", "The Black Rose", "James Bond In Scotland", "Gymnasium Training", "Le Chiffre's Magic Act", "Bond Arrival In France", and "Have No Fear Bond Is Here", with vocals by Mike Redway. CD

One of the greatest jazz soundtracks of all time! Elmer Bernstein wrote the score to Otto Preminger's chilling film version of Nelson Algren's book The Man With The Golden Arm – a sad tale of jazz, gambling, and heroin addiction on the streets of Chicago (not far from Dusty Groove, in fact!) – and in doing so, he came up with one of the first jazz soundtracks to really work strongly with a dramatic narrative. The film's striking theme is played in a number of variations, either with orchestral backing, or in small combo format by Shorty Rogers & His Giants, a crack west coast group that features work by Bud Shank, Shelly Manne, Bob Cooper, and Pete Candoli. The tracks work perfectly together as a suite of tracks, even without the images of the film – telling a tale of temptation, sadness, tragedy, and rebirth. Titles include "Clark Street", "Breakup", "The Fix", "Zosh", "Frankie Machine", and "Audition". Worth the price for the Saul Bass cover alone! LP, Vinyl record album

Art Blakey's soundtrack to this fantastic French film is one of his best non-Blue Note albums ever – and it's got the additional bonus of featuring performances by the great French tenor star Barney Wilen! The tunes here are way more than just short scene-setting soundtrack numbers – and are instead some incredibly memorable numbers from these great years of the Jazz Messengers – handled with all the fire of their Blue Note sides. The date was recorded in New York – with Wilen on tenor, Lee Morgan on trumpet, and Bobby Timmons on piano – and the tracks are a great mix of hardbop riffs and very catchy jazzy themes for the soundtrack. Titles include "No Problem", "Weehawken Mad Pad", "Valmontana", and "Miguel's Party". (Jazz, Soundtracks) LP, Vinyl record album

The original version of Brel's music, presented to American audiences – with translations by Mort Shuman and Eric Blau – and performances by Shuman, Elly Stone, Shawn Elliott, and Alice Whitfield. CD

A great entry in the Piedone series of films from Italian comedic legend Bud Spencer – scored by the DeAngelis brothers with a col sort of 80s take on their earlier cinematic modes! As with most of the Italian scores of the time, spare instrumentation and keyboards are used in place of fuller orchestrations – and the result is a batch of playful themes that really fit the goofy action that Spencer spins out on the screen – cheesier sounds that work very nicely with the offbeat performance that always made Bud's films such guilty pleasures! Features a total of 22 tracks – including two versions of the vocal theme "Sphinx" – fitting as the film is set in Egypt! LP, Vinyl record album

A nice little Georges Delerue score to this quirky and sentimental film from the mid 60s. The tunes are all relatively short – and a mixture of Delerue's usual French-tinged themes with other tracks that have a bit more of a regal composure, in keeping with the performance of Alan Bates in the lead. Titles include "The Rest", "The Pavane", "The Twirling Waltz", "The Return To The Church Theme", and "The Bicycles". LP, Vinyl record album

A movie that's so familiar, we sometimes forget the greatness of its soundtrack! True, the film did give the world a few big hits from Barry Manilow, but the instrumental score by Charles Fox is mighty nice – a great blend of 70s cop/crime modes with a few tenser moments – orchestrated wonderfully with this approach that's still very classic in its instrumentation, while sparkling with just a few slight contemporary elements. And away from the performances on the screen, the music almost sounds even classier – elevated past PG comedy realm, into the range of classic film score! LP, Vinyl record album

Peter Frampton and The Bee Gees recreate the magic of the Beatles – on a set that also features performances by Steve Martin, Dianne Steinberg, George Burns, Donald Pleasence, Stargard, Earth Wind & Fire, Aerosmith, Alice Cooper, and Billy Preston. (Rock, Soundtracks) LP, Vinyl record album

An excellent serious score from Gerald Fried – very different than some of his sci fi or TV work, and handled with a depth that really fits the material! Fried's very much in the social realism mode of the period – not above using whimsy when needed for the lighter moments, but often going for some of the right light scoring with elements that are modern enough to evoke deeper emotion in a subtle way, very different from more mainstream Hollywood gloss. The film's a lost classic of American independent cinema, and Fried's score really fits the material – presented here in a package that includes 24 tracks in all – including a vocal performance of the theme "One Potato Two Potato" by Alan Arkin, and a short commentary by Fried. CD

A recent live performance by Italian soundtrack legend Fabio Frizzi – recorded in America as part of a tour designed to support Frizzi's surprising return to the spotlight in recent years! In fact, the Frizzi heard here is even more in the spotlight than ever before – still using the evocative modes of his soundtrack creations, but also putting forward more vocal songs as well – handled by a group of younger musicians working with Frizzi, in a style that moves between the keyboard soundtrack styles of the 80s generation, and some of the more full-on sounds of earlier Italian prog! The whole thing was recorded in a church – and titles include "Suono Aperto", "Oltre La Soglia", "Silver Saddle", "With You", "Movin On", "Chaco", "Bunny Love Song", "Zombi 2", "Sette Note In Nero", "Rusty Games", "The Weeping Woman", and "Un Gatto Nel Cervallo". CD

A cool re-creation of the best soundtrack modes of Fabio Frizzi – particularly his scores for the films of Lucio Fulci! The performance is a live one, but done with a very classic vibe – played by a small combo that mixes keyboards, guitar, and rhythms with some light strings to really capture the creepy vibe of Frizzi's best soundtrack material – served up here in a mix of instrumental tracks that occasionally feature vocals – with music from the films Manhattan Baby, Zombi 2, Paura Nella Citta Dei Morti Viventi, Beware Of Darkness, and more! Titles include "Bunny Love Song", "Silver Saddle", "Baby Sequence" (numbers 1-4), "Zombi 2", "Wast It All In Vain", "Rusth Games", "Luca Il Contrabbandiere", "Voci Dal Nulla" and more. CD

A Sinbad movie, but one that's put together with a really rich soundtrack – possibly done with more care than the images on the screen for the film! The setting and story are a bit schlocky, but the music is actually classic Herrmann – a very powerful score with loads of dramatic finishes, countless mood shifts, and impeccable orchestrations – that masterful mode that's graced his better-known film scores for directors like Hitchcock or Scorcese, sounding equally great here. Titles include "The Flight", "Battle With The Cyclops", "The Death Of The Dragon", "The Vase", "Sultan's Feast", "Bagdad", "Cobra Dance", and "Transformation". LP, Vinyl record album