A very cool project from the groundbreaking 70s Sound Workshop of Piero Umiliani – heard here in some of his most electronic modes ever! If you've dug the work on Umiliani's famous album To-Day's Sound, you'll be even more blown away by what you hear here – some really spare, stark electronic sounds that seem to not only rival the best early analogue experiments of the postwar years, but also seem to preface later experiments in post-punk, techo, and indie electronics – all while retaining the charm we've always loved in Umiliani's music! Some tunes are straightforward and groovy, yet still pretty offbeat – and others get quite outside, often using the studio and production elements as an equal force in the music. Titles include "Non Mollare", "Produzione", "Mondo In Crisi", "Metronomo E Cuore", "Pendolo E Angoscia", "Mafia Oggi" and "Sovversione". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the greatest soundtracks we've ever heard from Piero Umiliani – an incredibly groovy record from the very first note! The score's got a fantastic mix of groovy scoring, jazzy bits, and cool little vocals – spare organ lines that set the tune on most numbers, stepping basslines to set the rhythms, and scatting lyrics from I Cantori Moderni – a group who make the act of counting to 5 sound incredibly cool! The feel is quite similar to Umiliani's sublime Sweden Heaven & Hell soundtrack (and at one point, you even can hear the guy with the funny voice from "Mah Na Mah Na") – and the music is exactly the kind of wonderful stuff that first got us digging Italian film scores so many years ago. Titles include a few versions of the main theme, plus "Luna Di Piero Agosto", "Bambola Omicida", "Interludio Azzurro", "Cinque Bambole", and "Danza Jazz Moon". LP, Vinyl record album

A sweetly swirling soundtrack from the great Piero Umiliani – a set of tracks that updates his style just a bit for the 80s, but still has plenty of the best elements we love in the music of the maestro! There's a slight touch of clubby rhythms in the music at times, and the tracks offer up a number of variations on the very catchy main theme – sometimes with a saxophone line, sometimes organ, sometimes fuller orchestrations all gliding together – upbeat, but nicely different than some of the more disco-oriented Italian comedic scores of the period. Titles include "Hammond Quotation", "Final Kiss", "Curtain Up", "California Mood", "Funny Ghost", "Society Life", and "Too Much Funk". LP, Vinyl record album

Hardly the sort of industrial sounds you might not expect – not the noisy European mode of the 80s, nor even the sort of labor-conscious styles of the Folkways generation – and instead, a sweet batch of groovy, lively instrumentals with a strong 60s vibe – of the sort that makes us think that Italian factories must have been a pretty pleasant place to work at the time! The great Piero Umilian penned all the tunes – in the best manner of his film scores from the same time – and the music is conducted by Romolo Marcellini, for a television program that used all of the tunes – in a beautiful blend of organ lines, guitar, vibes, and other jazzy instrumentation. Titles include "Natascia", "Tempo Di Week-End", "Playtime", "Automatismo", "Microracing", "Negozi Alla Moda", "Coltura Virus", "Cibernetica", and "Rally Notturno". LP, Vinyl record album

Percussion and special effects – a really wonderful blend, especially in the hands of Italian maestro Piero Umiliani! The album's one of Piero's more experimental and electronic outings – done for the Liuto sound library label, with lots of cool production techniques that make the drums and percussion nice and echoey, and just ripe for layers of keyboards and electronics, too! And although the record is experimental, it's often quite groovy – in the best Umiliani manner, with a few funky passages stepping out of space as well – in a blend of acoustic, electric, and cosmic that reminds us of some of the sci-fi soundtrack work of Peter Thomas. Titles include "Ritmi In swing", "Timbales", "Protesta Giovanile", "Bongos In Suspense", "Dinimica In Beat", "Dinemica In Tensione", "Organo In Suspense", "Fascia Metallica", "Battimenti", and "Esplosioni". LP, Vinyl record album

The girl on the cover looks a bit crazy, and with Piero Umiliani along for the ride, you can bet that the music's a bit crazy too – filled with all sorts of the weird and wild touches we always love in his sound library creations! There's definitely a bit of "playtime" in the spirit of the tunes – as they mix together groovy and mod styles of the late 60s, but with that special sort of sonic touch that Piero brings to his masterful creations in the studio – especially on the organ lines in the instrumentals, which often have a way of phrasing and tone that's so different than the use of the instrument in any sort of American work. Very groovy, with plenty of qualities that resonate with some of Umiliani's best-remembered soundtracks of the late 60s – on titles that include "Vecchio Texas", "Playtime", "Andiamo A Spasso", "Tempo Di Weekend", "Ore Piccole", "Aria De Periferia", "Rio Cristal", and "Tropicana". LP, Vinyl record album

There's a relatively serious cover on this set – at least in comparison to some of the more whimsical work of Italian sound library giant Piero Umiliani – and for the record, Piero seems to respond to the image – often using these richer, deeper styles that almost get back at more familiar postwar soundtrack scoring – the generation before some of Umiliani's biggest early work – with almost exotic elements of woodwinds and percussion, mixed with more familiar elements too. There's electric bass on the record, and some occasional effects too – but there's also more of the offbeat style that you'd hear in early 60s horror, or maybe even some of the blood and sandals films of the Italian scene. Titles include "Dea Madre", "Idolo", "Destrieri Selvaggi", "Pastorizia", "Maschere Funerale", and "Sepolcro Preistorico". LP, Vinyl record album

An early 80s soundtrack from the great Piero Umiliani – but one that seems to echo some styles from deeper in his past, including some of of the jazz elements he used in his early days – and some of the more unusual sonic textures he created for his sound library projects in the 70s! The film's a comedy, but as usual with Umiliani, the music is way more than you might expect – sometimes light and melodic, other times served up with unusual sonic elements – maybe more in the warmer side of the spectrum than the cold, but always with a knowledge of darkness at all the right points. The main theme gets some strong renditions in a few different ways – and there's also a great instrumental titled "Ultimissime", which has great Fender Rhodes – and the killer "Samba Mah Na", which uses Brazilian percussion and brassy horns to rework Umiliani's classic "Mah Na Mah Na" theme! A few tracks even get a bit funky – and the CD features 20 tracks from the film, plus notes in Italian and English. CD

One of the greatest soundtracks ever from the mighty Piero Umiliani – sounds initially written for a film that was an international "sexpose" of daily life in Sweden – but which have grown to even greater fame on their own over the years – thanks to the talent of the maestro! The music here is awash in groovy elements – lots of sweet Hammond organ lines, mod basslines, and some especially cool wordless vocals from the choir of Alessandro Alessandroni – scatting away in a great way alongside the instruments, and bringing an added level of breathy eroticism to the whole thing! This special LP version recreates the original Omicron release of the record – with titles that include the two lyrical tracks "You Tried To Warn Me" and "Sleep Now Little One", sung by Lydia McDonald – plus the tracks "Topless Party", "Eva Svedense", "Essere Donna", "La Signora Cameriera", "FotoModelle", and "Le Ragazze Dell'Archipellago". (Note, does not contain the track "Mah Na Mah Na", which is on other versions of the soundtrack – but it appears on the "partner" reissue of Umiliani's Psichedelica from Schema, under the title "Viva La Sauna Svedese".) LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful sound library set from the great Piero Umiliani – and a record that's filled with some of his coolest electronics ever! The feel of the record is very much in keeping with the image on the cover – kind of sci fi, but kind of playful too – a wonderful blend of keyboards and moogy bits, often played with a cool little groove – but one that's laidback enough to recall Umiliani's best soundtrack music! Tunes are relatively short – between one and four minutes in length – but really have a great sense of variety and imagination – at a level that goes way beyond some of the overdone repetition you might find in other albums of this nature. Really great all the way through – with cuts that include "Futuristic Jam", "Killer Robot", "Soft Key", "Bric Brac", "Soundmaker Blues", "Gadget", "Danza Galattica", and "Jingle No 1". LP, Vinyl record album

A great set of keyboard work from the legendary Piero Umiliani – and one that's definitely heavy on the Fender Rhodes promised in the title! Piero first started out with a more jazz-based sound in the 60s, and that definitely returns here – but updated nicely with a sweet set of 70s electric keys – used here in ways that move between funky jazz, gentler bossa numbers, and a whole range of other styles that fit very nicely on the groovier side of the sound library spectrum! As with most of Umiliani's music during the decade, this album wasn't commercially released at all – just done as a sound library session under the name of Rovi – but pure Piero all the way through, on titles that include "Medium Cool", "Honey Moon", "Jolly", "Pianofender Blues", "Proposal", "Good Job", "Dark Blues", and "Atmosphere". LP, Vinyl record album

A totally wonderful set of sound library work from the legendary Piero Umiliani, working here under the name of Zalla – a set that mixes his great ear for electronic elements with some warm acoustic instrumentation too – a blend of percussion, baritone flute, and even a bit of marimba – the last of which is employed to resonate with balafon styles from Africa! The approach is great – kind of an extension of the soundtrack styles that Umiliani did in the 60s, with a 70s-styled take on exotica – maybe a bit like the famous EMI Studio 2 albums from Mandingo. There's some great jazz players in the lineup too – including flute work from Gino Marianacci, whose tone is tremendous – and titles include "Savana", "Green Dawn", "Sortilege", "Echoes", "Folk Tune", "Drums Suspense", "Africa To-Day", and "Rhythmical Stress". CD

One of the most seductive sound library albums ever recorded by Piero Umiliani – a set that was originally issued under his Zalla pseudonym, but which has all the best jazzy grooves of some of his famous soundtrack material from the end of the 60s! As on those records, Umiliani plays a host of great keyboards, especially organ – over rhythms that are mellow-stepping and slightly funky – often updated with modes borrowed from bossa nova, but brought into a more sensuous Italian soundtrack setting – balanced with nice touches on flute, guitar, and other instrumentation as well. The whole thing's wonderful – as lovely as your favorite soundtrack work by Umiliani, Piero Piccioni, or Armando Trovajoli – with titles that include "Porta D'Oriented", "Tanto Lontano", "Pianure D'Asia", "Oriente Rosso", "Prime Nebbie", "Nel Parco", "Vecchie Strade", and "Laguna Tropicale". CD

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

Cool beans! This is the original US single version of this tasty cut by Piero Umiliani! "Mah Na Mah Na" is simply wonderful – a weird nasally vocal humming along while some female singers come around in back – organ bubbling, the whole thing sounding about as mad as it can be! The flip is straighter – but still pretty groovy! 7-inch, Vinyl record

One of the most seductive sound library albums ever recorded by Piero Umiliani – a set that was originally issued under his Zalla pseudonym, but which has all the best jazzy grooves of some of his famous soundtrack material from the end of the 60s! As on those records, Umiliani plays a host of great keyboards, especially organ – over rhythms that are mellow-stepping and slightly funky – often updated with modes borrowed from bossa nova, but brought into a more sensuous Italian soundtrack setting – balanced with nice touches on flute, guitar, and other instrumentation as well. The whole thing's wonderful – as lovely as your favorite soundtrack work by Umiliani, Piero Piccioni, or Armando Trovajoli – with titles that include "Porta D'Oriented", "Tanto Lontano", "Pianure D'Asia", "Oriente Rosso", "Prime Nebbie", "Nel Parco", "Vecchie Strade", and "Laguna Tropicale". LP, Vinyl record album

We're not entirely sure what "fischiando" means, but we can definitely testify that the album lives up to the "beat" in its title – those kind of groovy, mod tunes we love so much in Italian 60s soundtracks from the great Piero Umiliani! This set's even more obscure than most of those records, though – done for the tiny Omicron sound library, as part of Piero's Sound Workshop series – with a nice mix of jazzy instrumentation on horns, plus a sweet range of keyboards that include Fender Rhodes, Hammond, and even a bit of spinet! Some tunes have bossa rhythms, others are more 60s mod – and the record also features a few sweet bits of whistling and acoustic guitar as well – although the main focus seems to come from the horns and keyboards. Titles include "Yes OK", "Autostop Per Rio", "Fischiando In Beat", "Tokio Blues", "Go Go Go", "Sono Un NJostalgico", and "Samba Mah Na", a great remake of one of Umiliani's famous themes! LP, Vinyl record album

A totally wonderful set of sound library work from the legendary Piero Umiliani, working here under the name of Zalla – a set that mixes his great ear for electronic elements with some warm acoustic instrumentation too – a blend of percussion, baritone flute, and even a bit of marimba – the last of which is employed to resonate with balafon styles from Africa! The approach is great – kind of an extension of the soundtrack styles that Umiliani did in the 60s, with a 70s-styled take on exotica – maybe a bit like the famous EMI Studio 2 albums from Mandingo. There's some great jazz players in the lineup too – including flute work from Gino Marianacci, whose tone is tremendous – and titles include "Savana", "Green Dawn", "Sortilege", "Echoes", "Folk Tune", "Drums Suspense", "Africa To-Day", and "Rhythmical Stress". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the most seductive sound library albums ever recorded by Piero Umiliani – a set that was originally issued under his Zalla pseudonym, but which has all the best jazzy grooves of some of his famous soundtrack material from the end of the 60s! As on those records, Umiliani plays a host of great keyboards, especially organ – over rhythms that are mellow-stepping and slightly funky – often updated with modes borrowed from bossa nova, but brought into a more sensuous Italian soundtrack setting – balanced with nice touches on flute, guitar, and other instrumentation as well. The whole thing's wonderful – as lovely as your favorite soundtrack work by Umiliani, Piero Piccioni, or Armando Trovajoli – with titles that include "Porta D'Oriented", "Tanto Lontano", "Pianure D'Asia", "Oriente Rosso", "Prime Nebbie", "Nel Parco", "Vecchie Strade", and "Laguna Tropicale". LP, Vinyl record album

A strange and obscure session that has the cool jazz vocals of American singer Helen Merrill backed by a small Italian combo led by soundtrack composer Piero Umiliani – a wonderful mix that really makes the album an unusual one for Helen! The music was originally recorded for a TV program in Italy, and each track is preceded by an Italian voice, reciting Italian versions of the lyrics over spare musical backing – then Merrill's voice comes in with a bigger jazz group, singing each track in English – a very nice level of presentation! And although the whole thing sounds crazy, it actually works well – and gives the album a compelling edge and kind of a sexy late-night quality – with great instrumentation that includes flute from Gino Marinacci and guitar from Enzo Grillini. Tracks include "Solitude", "Everything Happens To Me", "Night & Day", "Why Don't You Do Right", and "Willow Weep For Me". LP, Vinyl record album

Stunning sound library material from Braen's Machine – one of the coolest, grooviest, and most obscure acts that were part of this underground Italian scene in the 70s! Quarta Pagina follows into even more trippier territory than the group's famous Underground album – a wild blend of psychedelic elements with hip soundtrack styles – the kinds of aspects that Piero Umiliani and Alessandro Alessandroni brought to the group, but with an even weirder feel. Track are all nice and compact – no overindulgent jams, but there's still a wonderful range of sounds in the short tunes – and most numbers are vocals, filled with guitars, keyboards, and loads of odd elements – but there also seems to be an Edda Dell'Orso-like singer in a few spots too. Titles include "Frode", "Addescamento", "Rimorso", "Il Covo", "La Vittima", and "Nel Penitenziario". LP, Vinyl record album

Maybe the coolest and grooviest music we've heard from the obscure Braen's Machine sound library project from early 70s Italy – a record that's less tripped out than its predecessors, and instead has this great style that's heavy on bossa elements and funky jazz! The vibe's a bit like the best Italian soundtracks of the period – especially work by Morricone or Trovajoli – and the group still apparently features contributions from Alessandro Alessandroni, working with Piero Umiliani – which gives the whole thing a very strong soundtrack pedigree! Instrumentation includes some mighty nice keyboards – both Hammond and electric piano – and lots of great production on familiar instruments, which can give things like a snare drum a very odd crackle, or a flute this weirdly spacious sound. Titles include "Movimento", "Dinimica", "Gara", "Passeggiata", "Aspetti Grotteschi", "Esercizi Ginnici", "Ritmica Sportiva", and "Rinuncia". LP, Vinyl record album

A legendary overview of jazz on the Italian scene at the start of the 60s – a great document of the new modes that was really setting the work of Italian jazz musicians apart from those in other parts of Europe – working with fresh ideas and a new conception that's completely sublime! The work here often has a great balance between structure and individual voice – and many numbers feature strong soloists who'd go on to great fame in a variety of settings – already graced here with talents that seem greater than their young years. Trumpeter Enrico Rava leads things off in a quartet with pianist Maurizio Lama, on a version of the tune "Line For Lyons" – and Lama follows with a trio reading of his own "Tema For Franco". Trumpeter Sergio Fanni is joined by the great Eraldo Volante on tenor and baritone on the tunes "Duo" and "Circeo". Later soundtrack artist Piero Umiliani serves up his "Picolla Suite Americana" – followed by the Modern Jazz Gang of saxophonist Sandro Brugnolini (with later sound library giants Enzo Scoppa and Cicci Santucci), on the tracks "The Drum Is A Tramp" and "Blue Mirria". Trombonist Dino Piana delivers the tune "Tempo Di Febbraio" with help from the great Gianni Basso on tenor – and the set also features a reading of "Bag's Groove" with Giorgio Azzolini on bass, Piano on trombone, and Attilio Donadio on alto. LP, Vinyl record album

Strong 70s work from Ismael Rivera – an album that has him working here with his popular Cachimbos group, set to arrangements by Javier Vasquez – in a really unified sound that's mostly salsa all the way through, but also has a few nice twists and turns as well! The album's got one incredibly strange track – a Latin remake of Piero Umiliani's "Mah Na Mah Na", which takes the track in a very different direction, yet still retains its mad groove and very unusual sound – a real standout number that's almost worth the price of the record alone! Other titles include "Dime Por Que", "Yumbo Agua Tana Oh", "Hasta Manana", "Traigo Salsa", and "San Miguel Arcangel". LP, Vinyl record album

A set that's not nearly as electronic as you might expect – at least not in any sort of cold, computer-styled way – as the record is full of plenty of great analog touches on keyboards, basslines, and other bits – all of which really give the whole thing a very warm glow overall! The tunes are in the best classic keyboard sound library modes – maybe an evolution from Alan Hawkshaw through Piero Umiliani, into territory that's definitely Gianni Safred's own – as it's very hard for us to even begin to link the particular style of these tunes to any other record in the genre! Wonderful work throughout – on tunes that include "Jazz Motion Study", "Planetarium", "Trapdoor", "City Problems", "Mystification", "Bottom Up", "Elastic Points", and "Automatic Age". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic little collection – one that gets at a special side of the 70s European scene that wasn't quite prog, wasn't quite art rock, and wasn't quite experimental – but which definitely lay to the left of the mainstream during the decade and really helped set the tone for years to come! The music here is heavy on influences from the German scene, but also features some British tracks too – often in a way that makes a leaner approach to some of the bigger ideas of prog – with a more stripped-down approach, and often a less top-heavy sound – so that these cuts slide right in and sneak up on you with a really subtle sense of power. You'll recognize some of the names here, but the choice of tracks is key – put together by Bob Stanley, who gave us some other excellent "imaginary soundtrack" compilations from Ace. Titles include "Way Star" by Rubba, "L'Eroe Di Plastica" by Toni Esposito, "Tommy" by Focus, "Octave Doctors" by Steve Hillage, "Troupeau Bleau" by Cortex, "Canoe" by Piero Umiliani, "Penny Hitch" by Soft Machine, "Eileen" by Streetmark, "Jennifer" by Faust, "A Morning Excuse" by Amon Duul II, "Pony" by Annette Peacock, and "Don't You Know" by Jan Hammer. CD

Mindblowing work from the Italian soundtrack scene of the 60s and 70s – a true treasure of tracks that more than lives up to the "psycho beat" promise of its title! The tunes are a heady brew of tripped-out styles – floating organ, slinking bass, stepping strings, fuzzy guitar, and bumping drums – all in a space that's just the right place between funky and easy – with a sublime kind of sound that's unlike anything else we can think of! If you've only ever dug funky groovers from the Anglo side of the spectrum, this is the kind of record that will definitely open up your ears – and even though the collection's an old one, it's still one of the best illustrations around of the genius of Italy at the time! Titles include "Fotomodelle" by Piero Umiliani, "Red Face" by Barigozzi Group, "Shake Psycho" by Mario Molino, "Schegge" by Lesiman, "Rapimento In Sicilia" by Nino De Luca, "Essere Donna" by Piero Umiliani, "L'Appartamento Vuoto" by Gianni Ferrio, "La Fine Di Cobb" by Stelvio Cipriani, and "Hurricane" by Cesco Anselmo. CD

Soundtrack funk doesn't get any better than this – thanks to a head-expanding of tracks from the Italian scene of the 60s and 70s – served up with the usual ear for a great cut by the folks at Easy Tempo! The groove here is far from the "easy" you might expect – and most numbers have tight drums, funky basslines, and other heavy elements – all put together with an approach to the music that's far different than anything happening in the US at the time, especially in the way the instruments sound in the end – and in the way that the production techniques make them do really crazy things! Titles include "Parangua" by Luiz Bacalov, "Flirt a Rio" by Piero Umiliani, "Side Sleep" by Berto Pisano, "Little Shakie Girl" by Armando Trovajoli, "Tremendous Stars" by Piero Piccioni, "Under Drama" by Giancarlo Gazzani, "Realta No 5" by Stelvio Cipriani, "So" by Lara Saint Paul, "Israelites" by Capuano, and "Citta Viva" by Ennio Morricone. CD

Slammin's a definite good choice for the title of this one – as this 5th entry in the Easy Tempo series seems even funkier than the other volumes – a set that's got plenty of full-on grooves, hand-picked from the genius Italian soundtrack years of the 60s and 70s! If you're looking for a place to start digging the full range of talents of the maestros of this time, you'd be hard pressed to find a better collection – as the Easy Tempo name always means the best bits from this scene, served up in a package that packs a lot more punch than any single individual soundtrack! Titles include "Loco Love Motor" and "The Frog" by Augusto Martelli, "Montreal Non Stop" and "Anice Nuraghi" by Luiz Bacalov, "L'Arcangelo" by Piero Umiliani, "Running Fast" by Stefano Torossi, "Blazing Magnum" by Armando Trovajoli, "Trop's" by Alberto Baldan Bembo, "Vuca" by Tony Mimms, and "The Chicken" by Dick Oliver. CD

A much-needed look at one of the hippest Italian labels ever – the legendary Horo Records, home to some of the most groundbreaking jazz in Europe during the 70s! Horo's never reissued their work – at least not yet – so this collection makes the first time that most of these cuts are showing up again since the 70s – an essential batch of work that not only features important material from Italian players, but also includes some sublime cuts from American artists as well! Horo picked up the torch of avant and spiritual sides after the BYG and MPS labels stopped recording as much of that material in the mid 70s – and as you'll hear on this package, the music is really mindblowing – especially given that Gilles Peterson has gone through the catalog, to come up with some of the grooviest numbers from the label – modal dancers, soaring spiritual jazz cuts, and amazing moments we're plenty happy to have out again. Titles include "Caravan" by Piero Umiliani, "Nuraghi" by Santucci Scoppa, "Big Bang" by Kenny Clarke, "Tropical" by Irio De Paula, "I'm So High (Paolo Scotti re-edit)" by Roy Haynes, "Moon Dance" by Steve Grossman, "The Satellites" by Sun Ra, "Costa Bruciata" by Stafford James, "Pastoral" by Giancarlo Barigozzi, "Polychrome" by Enrico Pieranunzi, "Blue Generation" by Oscar Valdambrini & Dino Piana, and "Chiaroscuro" by Martin Joseph. CD

A great set of postwar Italian jazz – the combination of 2 sessions from the end of the 50s, both featuring the octet of tenorist Gianni Basso and trumpeter Oscar Valdambrini! The pair are joined in the frontline by Dino Piana on trombone on about half the set – and by the baritone sax of the great Swedish player Lars Gullin on another four tunes – and together, the tracks have a lively and hard-swinging feel that's very much in keeping with the best jazz showing up on Italian soundtracks at the time – no surprise, since the Gassman in the title is Vittorio Gassman, one of the greatest Italian character actors of the 50s and 60s! Tunes include "Fata Morgana", "Guess Who", "Ciau Turin", "Crazy Rhythm", "Peter Of April", and "Blues For Gassman", a strong original written by Piero Umiliani! LP, Vinyl record album

A wonderful idea for a record – a project that offers up new recordings of older Italian jazz soundtrack themes – a perfect set to bridge both aspects of the mighty Schema label! The group's led by altoist Rosario Giuliani – a player with a really classic ear, and a great choice for the date – as his guidance of the group is perfect – and really hits the best elements to make these classic tunes come out sounding nice and fresh! Instrumentation also features Pietro Lusso on piano and Fender Rhodes, Joseph Lepore on bass, and Lorenzo Tucci on drums – plus a bit of guest trumpet from Fabrizio Bosso on one track. The set features great compositions by Italian soundtrack giants – like Piero Umiliani, Gianni Ferrio, Riz Ortolani, and Piero Piccion – and titles include "Tension", "Moroizzazione", "Emanuelle", "Gassman Blues", and "Amore, Amore, Amore". CD

A really fantastic collection – one that gets at the full range of jazz-based sounds in Italian soundtracks during the 60s – served up here on a set of tracks that go way past the obvious! This isn't a "best of" set – and instead, it digs very deeply, and even features some unissued material – brought together in an array of tracks that are a complete delight, even to our ears – which have been trained on Italian soundtrack reissues for decades! Most of the music here is from that key point when Italian scoring was moving from larger orchestras to smaller combos – most right before the groovy/mod years, and taking advantage of the very strong rising tide of top-shelf jazz soloists on the Italian scene – players who are far too many to mention here, but who really help ensure that the work is fantastic! Imagine the best jazz-based soundtracks from Hollywood and France in the late 50s – then imagine work better than that, and that's what you'll get here – on a huge selection of 33 tracks by artists who include Francesco De Masi, Piero Umiliani, Luis Bacalov, Marcelli Gigante, Luiz Bonfa, Piero Piccioni, Ivan Vandor, Aldo Piga, Carlo Savina, Carlo Rustichelli, and others. CD

Sweet funky electronics from Franco Chiari – served up on a rare sound library session with an incredibly groovy feel! The keyboards range from electric piano to much more moogy modes – and are played with Chiari in ways that are almost a more electrified variation of the Italian soundtrack styles of the period – a bit like the approach that Piero Umiliani started using when he picked up electronics, but before he started going too far outside! There's definitely some funky gems here – the kind of cuts that would have strong appeal to any fan of 70s keyboard funk – and titles include "UFO Message", "Love Ride To Montecarlo", "A Taste Of Beat", "La Ranocchia Impazzita", "Bossanova Du Du Da", and "Rio Tu Ed Io". LP, Vinyl record album

A cool set that features 3 years' worth of remixes by the Cinematic Orchestra – a much needed collection of their work on tracks by other folks, all given the cool soundtracky feel that's the group's instantly recognizable trademark! Titles include their remixes of "Guaguanco" by Les Gammas, "Ode To The Lizard" by Tom Tyler, "Panoramica" by Piero Umiliani, "Vilderness" by Nils Petter Molvaer, "Re Arrange" by DJ Krust, "Moving Cities" by Faze Action, and "The Fear Theme" by Kenji Eno. CD

Jazzy instrumentals from Cosmic Analog Ensemble – aka Charif Megarbane – tunes that use plenty of keyboards and playful rhythms – all at a level that maybe feels like some electric sound library material from the Italian scene of the 70s – or even a bit like the Testcard EP by Young Marble Giants! Megarbane definitely has a great ear for electric sounds – almost in the territory of Piero Umiliani – and he works here on Moog, Farfisa, Mellotron, and a range of other keyboards – used in ways that are spacey, but tuneful too – and set to lean rhythms that keep things moving along in a lightly lilting way! Titles include "Parachute Jellyfish", "Ohms & Watts", "Version Des Faits", "La Grande Bellezza", "Le Cinema Interieur", "The Age Of Interrobang", and "Unlearning To Swim". LP, Vinyl record album

One of the coolest, grooviest Christmas records we've heard in years – a set that's the first-ever effort from Roman Coppola's Molto Groovy Productions – and which has a mod 60s vibe all the way through! The styles here are steeped in the best Italian soundtrack modes from years back – cool keyboards, fuzzy organ, funky basslines, and lots of offbeat instrumentation that really transforms the tunes – almost as if someone like Piero Umiliani or Ennio Morricone recorded a whole album of Christmas instrumentals! The sound is perfect – even better than you might suspect from the cover – and you can take it from us, as we're not easily fooled by "fake" retro projects – and really tip our hat to these guys for getting the instrumentation, arrangements, and production just right. Most titles are familiar songs, but done in very unusual styles – and tracks include "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town", "Joy To The World", "Jingle Bells", "Sleigh Ride", "Feliz Navidad", "Little Drummer Boy", "Silver Bells", and "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas". CD

One of the coolest, grooviest Christmas records we've heard in years – a set that's the first-ever effort from Roman Coppola's Molto Groovy Productions – and which has a mod 60s vibe all the way through! The styles here are steeped in the best Italian soundtrack modes from years back – cool keyboards, fuzzy organ, funky basslines, and lots of offbeat instrumentation that really transforms the tunes – almost as if someone like Piero Umiliani or Ennio Morricone recorded a whole album of Christmas instrumentals! The sound is perfect – even better than you might suspect from the cover – and you can take it from us, as we're not easily fooled by "fake" retro projects – and really tip our hat to these guys for getting the instrumentation, arrangements, and production just right. Most titles are familiar songs, but done in very unusual styles – and tracks include "Santa Claus Is Coming To Town", "Joy To The World", "Jingle Bells", "Sleigh Ride", "Feliz Navidad", "Little Drummer Boy", "Silver Bells", and "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas". LP, Vinyl record album

A fantastic little collection – one that gets at a special side of the 70s European scene that wasn't quite prog, wasn't quite art rock, and wasn't quite experimental – but which definitely lay to the left of the mainstream during the decade and really helped set the tone for years to come! The music here is heavy on influences from the German scene, but also features some British tracks too – often in a way that makes a leaner approach to some of the bigger ideas of prog – with a more stripped-down approach, and often a less top-heavy sound – so that these cuts slide right in and sneak up on you with a really subtle sense of power. You'll recognize some of the names here, but the choice of tracks is key – put together by Bob Stanley, who gave us some other excellent "imaginary soundtrack" compilations from Ace. Titles include "Way Star" by Rubba, "L'Eroe Di Plastica" by Toni Esposito, "Tommy" by Focus, "Octave Doctors" by Steve Hillage, "Troupeau Bleau" by Cortex, "Canoe" by Piero Umiliani, "Penny Hitch" by Soft Machine, "Eileen" by Streetmark, "Jennifer" by Faust, "A Morning Excuse" by Amon Duul II, "Pony" by Annette Peacock, and "Don't You Know" by Jan Hammer. LP, Vinyl record album

On the heels of their Sessomato Experience, Easy Tempo release this compilation of older Italian soundtrack grooves – by Luis Bacalov, Armando Trovajoli, Piero Umiliani, and Piero Piccioni – remixed by modern European mixologists – like Kid Loco, Jazz Brothers, Rainer Truby Trio, Maffia Sound System, and Gak Sato. As with the other projects, the effort is an attempt update some of these funky grooves, and turn them towards the modern dancefloor. This CD version has an extra mix of Umiliani by the High Llamas, a mix of Umiliani's "Mah Na Mah Na" by the Karminsky Experience and a remix of "Sessomatto" by Raphael Sebbag. CD