Director Quentin Tarantino has drawn plenty of inspiration from the music of Ennio Morricone over the years – either using short passages of older Morricone music in his films, or evoking the substance and style of the maestro in the way he uses sounds from other sources too! So it's only fitting that this time around, the pair are finally brought together fully – as Morricone turns out one of his best soundtracks in years for Tarantino's Hateful Eight – a brooding, suspenseful tale that owes plenty to the western generation that first sprung Morricone to global fame! Yet as with most of Ennio's best work, the style here is something that goes far beyond expectation – orchestrations that take on a style completely their own – with instrumental elements that have stronger focus amidst the larger charts, and a sense of mood and color here that's completely sublime. The record is mostly music from Morricone – written for the film – and features a few passages of dialogue from the movie, plus just a few additional tracks by The White Stripes, Roy Orbison, and David Hess. Yet it's more than fair to think of this as a complete score by Morricone – very different than the usual compilation-style soundtracks we've had before from Tarantino. CD

Two late 60s groovers from Morricone! Grazie Zia is a very short soundtrack – featuring only 4 tracks in all – but it's got some incredible vocals by Renata Cortiglioni, who sings in this mode listed in the notes as a "chorus of treble voices", which makes for a very spooky sound! Uccidete Il Vitello Grasso has a lot of tightly snapping tunes – horns popping out over beats, a number in the "shake" 60s mode, mixed with mellower tracks that are more in Morricone's contemplative style. There's a total of 12 tracks on the CD – which is a bit short, but very groovy! Titles include "Grazie Zia", "Guerra E Pace, Pollo E Brace", "Filastrocca Vietnamita", "Lungo La Stradina", "Echi Del 700", and "Shake Introspettivo". CD

A really moody little record from Ennio Morricone – spare, subtle, and extremely beautiful – touched with notes of sadness and remorse, but also handled with a strong spirit of redemption! The sound here isn't as cold or atonal as that on some of Morricone's horror work – but it's also not sweet and dreamy either. Instead, there's kind of an economic use of piano, light strings, and odd sonic textures – woven into a tapestry of shorter tunes that convey a real sense of loss, but also a quietly growing beauty. There's a few wordless vocals on the set, but things are mostly instrumental overall – and titles include "La Califfa", "La Pace Interiore", "Fari Nella Notte", "La Cena", "Notturno", "Sotto La Pioggia", and "Sangue Sull'Asfalto". CD features 29 tracks in all! CD

An overlooked Morricone gem from the early 70s – a soundtrack that's both romantic and eerie – and which effortlessly steps between the two styles! The main theme of the film floats on air beautifully – one of those lighter than light Morricone works that stand out from the rest of his best soundtracks of the time – presented here in a unique 18 minute version that works as a magnificent suite that really dominates the set. That track's followed by the much darker, and equally long, "La Citta" – a tense number that features a fair bit of atonal strings that recall Morricone's bleaker horror movies. Given that the title translates as "two seasons of life", it's a fair guess that the juxtaposition here is intentional. Great stuff, great sound, and with lots of haunting vocals from Edda Dell'Orso! CD also features a number of shorter tracks – for a total of 12 titles in all. CD

Two Ennio Morricone soundtracks from the early 70s – back to back on a single CD! First up is Un Uomo Da Rispettare – a moody soundtrack to an obscure 1972 thriller starring Kirk Douglas – scored by the maestro with some especially inventive touches! Morricone's exploring his use of space quite a bit in this one – opening up the sound slowly, and patiently – so that you can really hear and concentrate on all the unusual sounds he creates – some almost as experimental as his work with Gruppo D'Improvvisazione Nuova, others more in that warmly musical quality you'd know from other soundtracks. The sekectuins are filled with passages of sounds and silence that interweave into each other nicely - and the album's notable for the use of some odd noise effects, too – like strange clickings and scrapings, which are balanced with the album's moodier orchestral scoring. One of Morricone's more subtle scores, and filled with some very memorable moments – on titles that include "18 Pari", "A Florinda", "Colpo Parallelo", "Un Tempo Infinito", and "L'Incarico". Senza Novente is beautifully slow-building work from Ennio Morricone – caught right at that near-perfect start of the 70s point when he was a master of understatement and spare musical elements! Many numbers begin with a sound that's often very spare – sliding out of the darkness sometimes with just a whisper, sometimes with a bit more force – woodwinds hidden in the shadows, piano murmuring softly, or strings that slide slowly once, then strike with more force the next time around. There's also a cool whistling bit that snakes through a few of the best tunes – a haunting theme with Alessandroni-type appeal – and the orchestrations for the album were conducted by Bruno Nicolai. The sound isn't as sweetly gliding as you might expect, but it's also not as atonal as other Morricone moments too. Titles include "In Pieno Petto", "Il Movente (2)", "Senza Motivo Apparente", "Ricera", "Ricera (2)", "Sospensione Folle", and "In Pieno Petto (2)". CD

Think that Ennio Morricone only made music for soundtracks? Guess again – because this groovy little set features a whole host of tracks that the maestro recorded with singers in the early 60s – great postwar pop numbers that already show his creative touch on the charts! Most of the music here is a bit more straightforward than Morricone's later soundtrack material, but still pretty darn sublime – Italian vocals, cool instrumentation, and lots of sweet production techniques that bring in moody, echoey, and mellow touches that definitely let you know you're in the hands of Ennio. Titles include "Corri Corri" by Gianni Morandi, "La Tua Stagione" by Tony Del Mnaco, "Queelo Che Conta" by La Cuccagna, "Faccio Finta Di Dormire" by Edoardo Vianello, "Se Fatto Tardi" by Helen Merrill, "La Donna Che Vale" by Alberto Lionello, "Arianna" by Nora Orlandi, and "Perdono" by Catherine Spaak. CD

An amazing record – one that stands as one of Chico Buarque's greatest from the 70s! The set was recorded in Italy in 1970 – and features Chico singing lead vocals over backings handled by Ennio Morricone – all in a style that's a perfect blend of MPB with the best elements of the Italian scene of the time! The songs are all originals written by Chico – and have a light and dreamy samba/bossa feel, one that's inflected by the off-beat orchestral style of Morricone, and supported by vocals from I Cantori Moderni. The feel is halfway between Chico's work on RGE and some of the dreamier Morricone soundtracks of the time – and it's a wonderful thing to have a strong male lead vocal over backings from Morricone – a really rare thing for the time, with results that are tremendous. Titles include "Rotativa", "Samba E Amore", "Nicanor", "Tu Sei Una Di Noi", "In Te", "Ed Ora Dico Sul Serio", and "Quete E Quelle". CD

Nice to know that we've lived past the year 2000 – and have managed to miss the holocaust that Kirk Douglas fought in this late 70s film! The movie's just the kind of overdone thriller that Kirk handled late in his career – but thankfully, the music from Ennio Morricone is much deeper overall – done in that brilliant blend of creepy styles that could make anything come together on the screen, even without any good special effects or dialogue! Some numbers have spooky, spare passages with earthy percussion and woodwinds, others have offbeat strings, some have some light electric elements – and overall, the music is nicely understated, always classy, and years ahead of some of the cheaper horror scoring of the time. CD features a whopping 33 tracks in all – the fullest version of the soundtrack we've ever seen – with titles that include "Holocaust", "Computer", "Slogan", "Jesus", "Il Bene Cattivo", "Serie Di Tre", "Strofa Monodica", and "Telefonata Interrotta". CD

We're not sure why Ennio Morricone is making the "shush" sound at us on the cover – as the set's such a wonderful celebration of his music, it makes us want to cheer! The performance here is all new – and features Morricone conducting the Czech National Symphony in a selection of tunes from his classic film scores – in a celebration of his 60 years of giving the planet some of the most beautiful music ever written! The orchestrations are great, and really live up to the spirit of the songs – and there's a recording quality here that's different than some of the other live Morricone albums, which can sometimes flatten the music, and not have that sense of separation and isolation that make the maestro's compositions so great. Titles include "Chi Mai", "Bestiality", "La Califfa", "Death Theme", "Deborah's Theme", "Metti Una A Sera A Cena", "Croce D'Amore", "The Fortress", and "The Man With The Harmonica". CD

We're not sure why Ennio Morricone is making the "shush" sound at us on the cover – as the set's such a wonderful celebration of his music, it makes us want to cheer! The performance here is all new – and features Morricone conducting the Czech National Symphony in a selection of tunes from his classic film scores – in a celebration of his 60 years of giving the planet some of the most beautiful music ever written! The orchestrations are great, and really live up to the spirit of the songs – and there's a recording quality here that's different than some of the other live Morricone albums, which can sometimes flatten the music, and not have that sense of separation and isolation that make the maestro's compositions so great. Titles include "Chi Mai", "Bestiality", "La Califfa", "Death Theme", "Deborah's Theme", "Metti Una A Sera A Cena", "Croce D'Amore", "The Fortress", and "The Man With The Harmonica". The bonus DVD features footage of Morricone and director Quentin Tarantino working at Abbey Road on the score for The Hateful Eight! CD

... CD

A fantastic collection of songs originally penned by soundtrack genius Ennio Morricone – served up here in a host of vocal versions that really show how many different artists and styles he influenced over the years! Some of the cuts here are expected Italian pop singles – vocal variations of Morricone themes in Italian – but as the set moves on, there's a really groovy range of different sounds from all over the world – some with a relation to the soundtrack/sound library scene, but lots more by a variety of artists inspired by the genius of the maestro. As with other sets like this on Ace Records, the package features detailed notes – helping put all the music in context – and the 21 track set list is full of surprises, mostly with songs from the golden late 60s/early 70s era, mixed with some stunning gems from later years. Titles include "Questi Vent'Anni Miei" by Catherine Spaak, "Una Stanza Vuota" by Lisa Gastoni, "Hurry To Me" by Amii Stewart, "La Ballata Di Hank McCain" by Jackie Lynton, "Ballad Of Sacco & Vanzetti" by Scott Walker, "Ricordare" by Gerard Depardieu, "It Couldn't Happen Here" by Pet Shop Boys, "Il Tempo Sa" by Romina Arena, "Amalia Por Amor" by Hayley Westenra, "A Brisa Do Coracao" by Dulces POntes, and "Canzione Basilica" by Fausto Cigliano. CD

A tribute both to the genius of Ennio Morricone – and to the five years of music created by the Cineploit label – served up in a style that's a wonderful combination of both worlds! The sound is more in the small combo mode that Cineploit gives us on its records – not the full strings or orchestrations of Morricone's soundtracks, but more fuzz guitar and keyboards – mixed with other sonic elements and some occasional bits of funk! Aesthetically, the music has more of a post-Goblin or John Carpenter sound than the golden Morricone era of the 60s and 70s – and titles include "Pazuzu" by Zoltan, "The Thing" by Videogram, "Revolver" by Leonard/Wank, "Strana Bambina" by Luigi Porto, "Matto Caldo Girotondo" by Orgasmo Sonore, "Stress Infinito" by Rashomon, "La Lucertola" by Oscillotron, and "Die Ballade Von Prafekt Mori" by Thelema. CD

A trio of albums from this great trumpeter – packaged together in a nicely-priced set! Sol is a beautiful session from Italian trumpeter Fabrizo Bosso and saxophonist Javier Girotto – one that's filled with all the Latin Moods promised in the title! The set steps nicely off some of Bosso's other recent work for Blue Note – with a sound that's evocative, but also pretty lively too – especially given the small combo setting for the date! Bosso's trumpet and flugelhorn come into great play with Girotto's soprano and baritone sax lines – dancing beautifully over some rhythmic backings shaded in with keyboards, piano, and electric bass. The large booklet features some poetic prose that really set the scene for each tune – and although there's a bit of vocals on the record, most numbers are instrumental. Titles include "Volver", "Matias", "Pescao Blanco", "Wide Green Eyes", "Ochenta", "El Cacerolazo", "African Friends", and "Penny". You've Changed is a set that has the leader's warmly-crafted solos stepping out over some larger string arrangements from Paolo Silvestri! The music is great – fresher than you might expect, and not the usual batch of overplayed standards – given that Bosso mixes in music by folks like Ivan Lins, Marcos Valle, and Ennio Morricone – as well as some tunes of his own. The set features guest vocals from Dianne Reeves on one track, and soprano sax from Stefano Di Battista on two others – and titles include "Summer Samba", "Rio De Majo", "Estatew", "Joyful Day", "Nuovo Cinema Paradiso", and "Senza Fine". Purple is a set that has Fabrizio Bosso working with his Spiritual Trio – a group that features lots of Hammond organ, and plenty of tight drums! The "spiritual" in their name is a reference to an American gospel and soul tradition – one that's given plenty of play here, as most numbers are old spiritual standards from the church, reworked by Bosso into jazz instrumentals! Given the heavy use of organ, the approach is a bit like some of the Lou Bennett albums on the European scene of the 60s – with maybe a nod to the Donald Byrd albums of a spiritual nature for Blue Note. But there's also some very personal elements here too – either unusual instrumental inflections or production techniques, or some other aspects that show a greatly evolved understanding of this mode in jazz. Titles include "This Little Light Of Mine", "Purple", "A Little 3/4 For God & Co", "Dreams Come True", "Wishy Washy", "Total Praise", "A Change Is Gonna Come", and "Wade In The Water". CD

A rare one from Italian experimental pioneers Gruppo D'Improvvisazione Nuova Consonanza – led by Franco Evangelisti and featuring the great Ennio Morricone on trumpet, who might feel a little bit liberated from the conventions of film soundtrack compositions in this setting, and is making some of the most freely creative music of his career! The sound is improv-based and always compelling, ranging from tense interplay between noisy percussion and Morricone's playful trumpet, to sparer, eerie atmospheric bits, to freeform exploration that clearly influenced many of the avant garde musicians to come. Other players include Walter Branchi, Mario Bertoncini, John Heinemann and Egisto Macchi – and the titles include "Collage 5", "Percussione per Tutti", "Mirage" and "Macroforma". CD

Dreamy genius from Piero Piccioni – one of our favorite Italian composers ever! This set does for Piccioni what the Mondo Morricone sets did for Ennio – in that it pulls together an assortment of his best tracks from late 60s and early 70s soundtracks – with a focus on the loveliest work of the period! Bossa rhythms meet bubbling organ, tinkling piano, floating voices, and other soft and pillowy elements – creating tunes that have a groove, but which are also topped off by lots of sweet easy touches. The collection features 20 tracks in all – and honestly, if you'd asked us to pick our favorites by Piero, we'd hardly have done a better job ourselves! Titles include "Cera Una Volta-Finale", "Capriccio", "Coming To The Point", "Il Dopolotta", "Sycamore Trails", "Nolan Theme", "Mystery", "Una Colt In Mano Al Diavolo", "Easy Dreamer", and "Amore In Fiore". CD