A gem of a sound library record from one of the all-time greats – and maybe one of the few artists who gave his equal all, whether he was cutting a full film soundtrack, or just a discreet batch of tracks like these in the studio! The music is as groovy as groovy can be – sometimes funky, sometimes slinky – and done in this blend of heavy electric bass, nicely snapping drums, riffing guitar, and some great use of wordless vocals – maybe no surprise, since Alessandroni was the man behind the legendary I Cantori Modern! There's a great sense of variety all the way through – all killer, no filler – and titles include "Vocalisation", "Spiagge Azzurre", "Aliante Giallo", "Ciclamino", "Arioso Spirituale", "Cielo Verde", and "Marmittone". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the grooviest spaghetti western scores we've ever heard – penned for an early collaboration between Terence Hill and Bud Spencer! The main theme "Trinity" starts off with some cool vocal backing by Alessandro Alessandroni's I Cantori Moderni, singing underneath the English-language lead vocal – and the group also make an appearance on the film's reprise of this song at the end of the movie. Other tracks mix together guitar, organ, whistling, and some other cool sonic elements that give the soundtrack a cool late 60s feel that reminds us more of some lost French gem than an Italian thriller! Titles include "Lazy Cowboy", "Un Cowboy e Due Ragazze", "Di Fronte Ai Killers", "Trinity: Con La Stella Di Viceseriffo", and "C'e Un Tempo Per Vincere". LP, Vinyl record album

A super-rare sound library gem from the Italian scene – a wonderful tune that's got this midtempo bassline that steps along in a very groovy way – easygoing, but funky too – as harp, strings, and some mighty nice flute come into the mix to warm things up! "Since I Lost You" is a new cut – but one that seeks to recall the spirit of Sorgini's original – a bit more contemporary in production, but with all these very similar elements and a mighty nice groove! 7-inch, Vinyl record

Piero Umiliani gave the world some fantastic soundtracks in the 60s, and incredible electronic and sound library work in the 70s – but in the immediate postwar years, he was a jazz musician at heart – as you'll hear in this great set of small combo jazz from 1959! The vibe is right up there with some of the hippest Italian moderns of the period – like the Basso/Valdambrini group, or work by Gil Cuppini – and if you've heard some of the early 60s jazz soundtracks from Piero, you'll know that he can definitely serve up straight jazz work when he wants to! Umiliani plays piano, and other musicians include Marcello Boschi on alto and flute, Ivan Vandor on tenor, Bill Gilmore on trombone, Peppe Carta on bass, and Roberto Zappulla on drums. All tracks are originals – and include "Tempo Jazz", "Tema In Blues", "Mezza Cottura", "Tipi Misteriosi", and "Battesimo Dell'Aria". LP, Vinyl record album

An obscure solo set from Italian bassist Giovanni Tommaso – best known for his work in the groundbreaking fusion group Perigeo in the 70s, but heard here in an obscure jazzy set at the start of the decade! The record's got plenty of surprises along the way – a well-recorded date that mixes the bass of the leader with other jazzy instrumentation, including a bit of soprano sax from Steve Lacy on one track – all augmented by just the right use of larger arrangements. Titles include "Jazz Gallery", "Steve", "Bass Pedal", "Due Per 5/4", "Strong Beat", "Walk Slow", "Mr Slam", "Clap Dance", and "Out". LP, Vinyl record album

Sound library funk galore, served up here by an obscure duo that features work from Anna Maria Assunta Andreassi – one of the few female composers working in the Italian library scene at the time! The tracks are short and punchy – with almost a Duke Of Burlington level of rhythms and instrumentation – a varied approach that sometimes features a tenor soloing in the lead, sometimes some really cool moogy keyboards – all over grooves that keep things funky throughout! The instrumental set is overflowing with groovy numbers that are every bit as great as their titles might imply – a lineup that includes "Clavi Rock", "Moog Yet", "Sax Rock", "Blue Sax", "Clavibeat", "Mysterious", "Rhythm & Sound", and "Moog Rock". LP, Vinyl record album

Beautifully slinky grooves from the Italian scene of the 70s – the never-issued soundtrack to a very groovy film – presented here in a selection of four tracks, only one of which was released as a single back in the day! The music's got a great easygoing vibe – a post-bossa style from Piero Piccioni, warmed up by 70s Italian touches that include keyboards, flute, and a bit of saxophone – a really warm melody on the three variations on the "Svezia" theme – plus one more other tune from the film! 7-inch, Vinyl record

Funky grooves, floating vocals, mellow keyboards, and a whole lot more – easily one of the greatest soundtracks ever from the legendary Armando Trovajoli – and certainly one of the grooviest too! There's a sublime quality to this score that's well made Sessomatto one of the best-remembered albums from the glory years of the Italian soundtracks – a sense of space, pacing, and timing that are simply breathtaking – and which are the perfect summation of Trovajoli's earlier experiments in music. As with his score to La Matriarca, the instrumentation here varies often – sometimes a bit of horns, nicely compressed; sometimes a floating harmonica line; sometimes keyboards; and sometimes a funky rhythm topped with vocals – all woven together in a rich pastiche of styles that makes the album one of the deepest soundtracks you'll hope to own from the time. LP, Vinyl record album

We're not sure how much research went into the album – but we can definitely say that's got the sound just right – this sublime variation on Italian studio funk, served up here with all the right elements! The record's got an electric slink that would be right at home on the CTI/Kudo labels – but the groove is also more compact, and understated – as befits the Italian sound library origins of the set – still the right kind of jazzy solos, but with a good sense of economy and strong adherence to rhythm throughout! There's loads of great keyboards on the set – used in many nice flavors – and titles include "Splash Down", "Intimate Conversation", "The Taste Of Repeat", "Smooth & Manly", "Rhythm Phasing Blues", and "Sweet Foolishness". LP, Vinyl record album

A very cool record from Luis Bacalov – and one with a sound that's quite different than some of his more familiar, more sentimental soundtrack material! This one's got a wild mix of modes – from moody, atmospheric tracks, to funky bits, to more tripped-out passages – all with instrumentation that feels much more like it's from the Piccioni or Umiliani camp than the usual Bacalov styles! The whole thing's one of the more obscure numbers in Luis' soundtrack catalog – but it may well also be one of the best, thanks to titles that include "Hello Quincey", "Tucumania", "Nago", "Pinha Tamburim", "Lisa G", "Members Only", and "Anagramma". LP, Vinyl record album

A great compilation – despite the title – one that features west coast recordings made by Savoy, showing the less "cool jazz" side of the LA scene in the late 40s and early 50s! There's some excellent material on here not available elsewhere – especially some great bop groovers in the Central Ave kind of mode. The album's got 4 tracks by Slim Gaillard – "The Jam Man", "Slim's Riff", "I'm Confessin'" and "Oxydol Highball" plus "Blow Blow Blow" by the Wardell Gray All-Stars, 3 takes each of "Blues A La Russ" and "Wake Up Old Maid" by Russell Jacquet, 'What Is This Thing Called Love" by Wild Bill Moore and Gene Montgomery, "Strollin'", "Sonor", "Blues Mood", "Skoot" and "I've Lost Your Love" by a KennY Clarke Sextet that features Milty Jackson and Gerald Wiggins and 4 numbers from Helen Humes. LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

An early jazzy soundtrack from the great Piero Umiliani – made even better by some key work from Chet Baker on trumpet and Helen Merrill on vocals! The set was done at a time when both artists were spending some time in Italy – shaping the scene with their presence, and really standing out on a handful of rare recordings like this one – quite different than their American material of a few years before! Baker is especially striking – with lead solos that have a great sense of compression, and a depth of soul that really move beyond the Pacific Jazz recordings. And Merrill is wonderful, too – with that special flavor she only ever seemed to open up when she went overseas – and got to move into more unusual settings. But the real star is Umiliani throughout – balancing modern impulses with late night jazz in a way that really points the way towards his later scores in the 60s – but which is already nearly perfect here! Titles include "Smog" (done in instrumental and vocal versions by Baker and Merrill), plus "Dawn", "Tensione", "Tops", "California In The Summer", "Hollywood Tonight", "Bowling", and "Twilight At Los Angeles". LP, Vinyl record album

A rare Brazilian soundtrack on Som Livre – one that features work recorded for this story set in the 50s, which gives most of the tracks a rock n roll-ish kind of sound, a bit like the jovem guarda work coming out of Brazil in the 60s. A few titles are covers of American pop or rock tunes – and there's a few bossa ditties thrown on the end to even things out a bit. Titles include "Ela E Carioca" by Os Cariocas, "Bata Baby" by Wilson Miranda, "Tete" by Silvinha Telles, "Sereno" by Paulo Molin, "Banho De Lua" by Celly Campello, "Broto Legal" by Sergio Murilo, "Meu Mundo Caiu" by Maysa, and "Quem E?" by Osmar Navarro. LP, Vinyl record album

Extremely compelling work by the team of Toquinho & Vinicius! The album's a soundtrack to the Globo TV show O Bem Amado – and it's one of a number of albums that were recorded for Brazilian soap operas during the early 70s, most of which (including this one!) feature rare work that didn't appear on other LPs. The arrangements are great – handled on one track by Rogerio Duprat – and the record's got a baroque feel that reminds us of the best work on EMI/Odeon from the same time. A few tracks feature vocals by Maria Creusa, some by Toquinho, either solo or with Vinicius, and one by the Coral Som Livre. Includes the great groovy "Paiol De Polvora", plus "Meu Pai Oxala", "Cotidiano No 2", "Veja Voce", "Patota De Ipanema", and "No Colo Da Serra". LP, Vinyl record album

A killer Brazilian soundtrack! The record is a mix of funky easy tracks – in a Blue Brazil kind of mode – with other titles played by trumpeter Marcio Montarroyos that have a jazzier edge to them. The whole thing's kind of a mad mix of old and new Brazilian styles of music, touched by just a bit of 70s sleaze to give it a cool edge. Titles include "As Moca" by Osmar Milito e Trama, "Mentira" by Marcos Valle, "Amar Sofrer E Sonhar" by Nuvens, "Posso Ver O Mundo Pela Janela" by Trama, "Manha De Sol" by Piry, and "Maria", "Mulher", "Carinhoso", and "No Ranco Fundo" by Marcio Montarroyos. LP, Vinyl record album

An Italian funk double-header – a sweet little set from the end of the 60s, and one that features killer cuts from both Sandro Brugnolini and Stefano Torossi! We love either artist on their other own records, but there also seems to be something about putting them together here that makes them even better than before – certainly funkier, as the album's full of the kind of sharp, hard-grooving titles that first made us fall in love with sound library records in the first place! The date of the album's 1969, and both musicians make nice use of psych elements in their instrumentation – adding a bit of fuzz, wah-wah, or trippy guitar in just the right spaces – never going over the top, or getting too indulgent – but just moving in a groove that's tightly jazz funky at the bottom, and maybe a bit freaky at the top. Wonderful work throughout – and titles include "Sweet Beat", "Repetition", "Starter", and "Makkaresh" by Stefano Torossi – and "Wawa", "Motuproprio", "Polyphony", and "Flyer" by Sandro Brugnolini. LP, Vinyl record album

Incredible sounds from the postwar avant scene in France – a small record, but one that's had huge impact over the years! This 3 track EP features compositions based around the "structures sonores" of Jacques Lasry and Bernard Baschet – both of whom create and play these amazing Harry Partch-esque instruments that are part sculpture, part percussive tools – very groundbreaking at the time, and still pretty amazing after all these years. Even more than the instruments, though, the high point of the album is the way that the orchestrations and sonic structures work together – as the whole thing feels like an otherworldly batch of space songs that recalls some of Moondog's work, and some of the other early Musique Concrete composers from the 50s. Tracks include "La Mort Du Clown", "La Danse Du Resort" and "Bolide". 7-inch, Vinyl record

... 78 RPM, Vinyl record

... LP, Vinyl record album

... LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastically funky tunes from Italy! This set's one of the funkiest batches of sound library tunes we've heard in ages – pulled together by producer Aldo Sinesio, who recorded the material back in the 70s for his obscure Fly Records label. Sinesio's got a great ear for the funky bassline – and these tracks are rippingly great instrumentals with a heavy groove on nearly every cut. Keyboards are the main solo instrument – as Hammond and piano wail away on the melody, while bass and drums roll away underneath, punching out a very funky sound! Titles include "Ramsey", "Wave", "Halloo", "Lapedusa", "Crossway", "La Gang", "Week End", "Senza Propsettive", and "Trice". LP, Vinyl record album

Great work from the glory days of the Brazilian TV soundtrack – with cuts from Agepe, Vanusa, Jards Macale, Bandits Of Love, Guilherme Arantes, Martinho Da Vila, Paulinho Da Viola, Beth Carvalo, and Mario Gomes! LP, Vinyl record album

Excellent work by some of the greatest Brazilian singers and songwriters of the 70s! The material was recorded exclusively for this TV soundtrack in 1976 – and although the scope of the story stretches back to the early 20th century, the feel of most of the material is prime mid 70s MPB. Overall, this is one of the more introspective titles in this series of classic Som Livre soundtracks – as you might guess from the range of material and performers. Titles include "So Louco" by Gal Costa, "Latin Lover" by Joao Bosco, "O Casarao" by Dori Caymmi, "Coisas Da Vida" by Rita Lee, "Tangara" by Coral Som Livre, "A Dor A Mais" by Francis Hime, "Retrato" by Sueli Costa, and "Carolina" by Aquarius. LP, Vinyl record album

A surprisingly great little album – recorded on the occasion of the Ensemble's third decade in music, and a record that sounds a lot better than we remember! At the time of release, we kind of "pooh poohed" this one because of its divergence from some of the group's other styles – some tracks are straighter, more composed, and less improvised; others use a larger sound palette, and go for themes that are almost sentimental and nostalgic at times. Yet somehow, going back to this one, we're stunned at how interesting we find the whole thing – as each track seems to offer up a new surprise, and the series of musical visions expressed shows how much the group had grown during their time together. Includes the wonderful "Prayer For Jimbo Kwesi", the percussive jammer "Third Decade", the sonorously-wonderful "Bell Piece", and the tracks "Walking In The Moonlight", "Zero", and "Funky AECO". LP, Vinyl record album

A record with a nicely earthy vibe, and a sound that definitely lives up to the "misticismo percussivo" and "primitivismo sonoro" promise of the cover! The group's a quartet with plenty of percussion throughout – mixed with bass, keyboards, and some nicely moody woodwinds – all served up on a set of tracks dedicated to the four elements wind, water, fire, and air – in a style that's almost a contemporary blend of spiritual jazz currents with older exotica inspirations! The approach is great, and makes the record slide nicely between genres to a space that's all its own – on titles that include "Chango", "Oyanza", "Ile Aye", and "Omi Tuto". LP, Vinyl record album

Other-worldly sounds from a Kenyan fiddle player, but one who uses the instrument in ways that are completely unique – a style known as Orutu music, in which the instrument is used to spin out these hypnotic waves of sound next to spare percussion and really incredible chanted vocals! There's nothing of the familiar fiddle here – as the instrument has this repetitive tonal quality, almost like a harmonium played at a very fast speed – which then resonates with some of the more sonorous percussive elements, often with a nice current of distortion from the recordings! Most of the tracks here are singles issued in the 70s – and titles include "Stephen Otombo", "Yago Owaga", "David Yambo", "Salina Rambe", "B Otieno", and "Oo Ajuma". LP, Vinyl record album

Some of the most haunting music we've ever heard from spiritual minimalist La Monte Young – a set that was issued on his own small label at the end of the 60s, as a series of duets with his wife, Marian Zazeela – who's a heck of a creative force on the album! The set's got plenty of the longspun passages we love in Young's music – but with much more of a focus on trance-like vocals, handled by both Young and Zazeela, as they deliver these sonorous chant-like passages that build slowly alongside electronics – going in and out of phase like some of the best minimal experiments of the time, but with a much earther, personal sort of approach. LP, Vinyl record album

A smoking overview of work from the glory days of the Venezuelan scene – that moment when the nation's economy was opening the doors to rich new avenues of expression – including the important Discomoda label, which recorded all the gems on this set! The vibe is great – kind of a sideways take on NYC Latin modes of the years involved, but with some of the rootsier elements you might expect from Colombian work too – all presented with really stark, simple, no-nonsense production that really makes the music burst out loud! The selection of tracks here is great – all killer, no-filler, with a focus on the best Discomoda grooves from this stretch – 21 tracks that include "Mambo Tema" by Genaro Y Sus All Stars, "Disparo Goajira" by Nelson Y Sus Estrellas, "No Salgas De Tu Barrio" by Los Kenya, "Fiesta En Venezuela" by Los Satelites, "Lija" by Rodrigo Mendoza, "Mi Rendencion" by La Renovacion, "Analiza" by Principe Y Su Sexteto, "Juana Guaguanco" by Supercombo Los Tropicales, "Algo Diferente" by Johnny Sedes Y Su Orquesta, "Muneca" by Los Megatones De Lucho, "Pero En Caracas" by Sonora Venezuela, "Maracaibo" by Microbanda Marabina, and "Oye Como Suena"b y Orquesta Sonoramica. LP, Vinyl record album

Fantastic tracks from two ultra-rare labels from the New York scene – the Latin Soul empire Speed Records, and the super-tight Fonseca label – which provided a real mainline to Puerto Rican grooves at the time! Both labels cut some of the hardest-hitting Latin tracks of the time – music that was often rawer and more unbridled than material for other indies, like Tico or Fania – and the tracks here are from some of the obscure albums issued by both imprints, and some even-rare 7" singles – all with an upbeat groove, and a sound that's much more the Latin groove of the streets uptown, instead of the bigger ballrooms down in midtown. Titles include "Descarga Los Bravos" by Kent Gomez, "Asi Asi Descarga" by Mike Hernandez & Su Sonora Casino, "El Bembe" by Terrible Frankie Nieves, "Milton's Jala Jala" by Milton Zapata, "Palos Bravos De St John" by Orquesta Oliveri, "Yemaja" by Kent Gomez, "Palacio Descarga" by Danny Palacios, and "Melao Melaito" by Orquesta Oliveri. LP, Vinyl record album