It is hard to believe (and somehow a relief) that in this internet age we live in is still difficult to find information on some records. The few information available on "Nell'anno della luna" by Gino Conte and his orchestra, tell the story of a soundtrack composed specifically for the movie by the same name directed by Romolo Marcellini in 1969. Marcellini was a director who specialized in documentaries (his most famous work is "La Grande Olimpiade", a movie dedicated to the Rome olympic games in 1960), but also directed adventure movies such as "I pirati del golfo" or "Sentinelle di bronzi". Not even the ever-precise internet movie database is able to help us, and mystery surrounds the movie and its soundtrack, which was released one year later. A beautiful work that lingers in between swing and melodies, in a fad that was popular a few decades earlier, complmented by some elements of novelty borrowed from beat and rock. Tracks such as the title track, "Alla brasiliana" and "Samba Querida" sound more traditional, while titles like "Afro Swing", "Underground", "Beatmania" (all featuring the vocal ensemble I 4 + 4, led by Nora Orlandi) representa more adventurous side of this soundtrack. This reissue is complemented by 5 alternative versions.

The story of Smuggler Brothers starts in Palermo, the principal town of Sicily, in late 2011. Founded by three friends, musicians active in the fertile underground music scene of the city, the band aims to experiment with new artistic directions, combining a diverse set of influences ranging from Italian soundtracks and Library music from the 60s and 70s to African-American music, with groove as the core essence of the band. From the initial nucleus, the band evolved soon into an 8-piece combo. Following an exciting period spent rehearsing and honing their sound, Smuggler Brothers started an intense live activity, gaining the enthusiastic support of the local scene. In 2015 the band felt it was time to record their music- their self-titled debut album was recorded at Zeit Studio in Palermo, 15-tracks that were pressed on limited edition vinyl and released via Tone Deaf Records. Shortly after their album tour, the band suffered a period of instability- the departure of some players slowly weakened the structure of the group, forcing the surviving band members to interrupt the live activity and reflect on the future of the project. 2017 saw the group coming back to life with a clear plan. They began working on new music. This is the group's second album.

Given his fascination with obscure and esoteric topics, an interest that lasted throughout his whole career as a composer of library music, Fabio Fabor must have been diabolic and mysterious for real. The Milan-born composer, who passed away in 2011, had always showcased a darker side compared to other fellow musicians of his ear. A side that is well portrayed in works like the famous masterpiece "Pape Satan", or "Satanas", which is included in the very accessible "B 81" or in this splendid and experimental "Mr. Diabolicus - Mr. Mysterious". This is still a library music release, but it is kind of diffuclt to imagine TV or radio shows accompanied by tracks like "Neutroni", "Mr. Mysterious", "Fucina diabolica" or "Idillio Cosmico". We have nonetheless to acknowledge that in 1973, Italian TV was often surprising the audience with innovative shows, likely to host music such as Fabor's compositions - however, listening againt o these 14 short compositions is still an extraordinary experience if we consider their impact and influence on contemporary music and on hip labels of our days like Ghost box. "Sea Melody" and "Mare di ghiaccio" could have been taken from aquatic/biological-themed releases like "Ittiologia" or "Biologia Marina", but the whole album quality is impressive. Along with "Pape Satan", this is probably the best Fabio Fabor ever.

After another deep session Gerardo came out with a couple of killer tracks... The groove of Soul 70 is relentless and sexy - this bodyshaker is going to to be in your bag for a long time... On the flipside there is the latin flavoured "Colours". The groove is steady and fast, definetely pure Gerardo's trademark sound.

Second 12” single taken from the amazing new album of Rosalia De Souza, “Brasil Precisa Balançar” that has just come out at the end of January ’06. The entire work was produced by the legendary Bossa maestro Roberto Menescal. Whereas this song features another great Brazilian singer amused by duetting with our Rosalia. Marcos Valle. This vinyl contains 3 different versions of the same song, and a very own Gerardo Frisina revisited version. Side A presents his rather uptempo remix, which transforms the contemporary Bossa into a Batucada inflated bomb to shake any club. By adding new piano, double bass, drums and percussion, Gerardo gives the tune a different flavour. Side B opens with the album version. As ever impeccably arranged by Roberto Menescal, quirkily musical in the duet of Rosalia with Marcos Valle. The extra track by the Trio is a flawless instrumental execution by authentic Brazilian musicians. The Piano is on marvellous display, whilst drums and double bass sustain rhythmically the piece by accompanying without a glitch.

Vinyl LP pressing. Although he was one of Italy's leading jazz musicians, playing the piano at an international level in a mainstream style, it is probable that Romano Mussolini owed some of his fame to also being the third son of the Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini. Romano always gave respect to every musician who had the opportunity to play and grow artistically beside him. Born in Forl�, Romano Mussolini enjoyed a privileged childhood, studying music playing classical pieces with his father on the violin. 10 tracks. Schema. 2009.

Originally released in 1969, "Fischiando in beat" presents twelve gems of instrumental beat music, fabulous specimen of that music genre often labeled with the much-abused term 'lounge' - or 'easy listening', if you prefer. Forget about the experimental "Synthi Time": here you can only breathe an incredible desire for fun and dream of the late 60s, Rome and it's exclusive cocktail party.

Bassist, percussionist and arranger Pantaleón Perez Prado (1928-83) the younger brother of the famous Dámaso Perez Prado (“King of Mambo”) arrived in Europe in the 1950s, whereupon he set about pursuing his musical career in mambo.In the early 1970s, Pantaleón settled in Milan where he recorded two LPs, ʻEscandalo!ʼ (1972) and ʻPerez Prado - Don Alfioʼ (1973), both featuring a powerful ‘Big Funk Band’ sound and both still considered to be two incredible musical gems.After the sunset of “mambo fever”, Pantaleón was able to reveal a funky attitude that comes out in these amazing recordings.

UP! THE PSYCHO MELLOW

• Putting together this group in early 2009, I had a quite clear artistic vision of trying to balance the musical output between two loves: the 1970’s electric piano-fueled jazz-funk as pioneered by Herbie Hancock, and the acoustic two-horn hard-bop sound of the 1960’s. The material on this album was written over the course of several years, some of it reaching as far back as 2007, some more recent. - Kari Setälä, leader of Mighty Mighty

2008 album from the Italian Electronica duo (Stefano Ghittoni and Cesare Malfatti) containing remixes of tracks from their album Ink. The remix of the title track of TDR's album Ink is the opening track of this project. The lingering atmospheres recreated by the Cinematic Orchestra make the track sound intense and dramatic yet not heavy and very enjoyable. "Fatale" meets the art of the Berlinese producer Christian Prommer, whose touch gives to the piece a brand new shape. Live, organic percussions are blended into a spacey and electronic vibe. The result is a full length, sophisticated club mix. 13 tracks. Schema.

There would not be other words needed to describe "Dramatest", a release of experimental library music published in 1974 by Fonovideo and signed by Oscar Rocchi and Fabio Fabor. Rocchi, an excellent pianist and composer, had worked with heavy weights of Italian jazz such as Dino Piana e Oscar Valdambrini while developing a career as author of library music. Some of his works had been recently reissued, like "Erbe selvatiche" and "Pop Paraphrenia"...others are yet to be re-discovered, for instance the two volumes of "Stressorama", co-written with Barigozzi and Fabor. Of the latter, we had been able to appreciate works like "Pape Satan", "Infinit" or beautiful library music releases like "Aquarium". "Dramatest" is the encounter of these two great musicians, 14 explorations of the electronic spectrum, casting pure experimentalism, melody and no filters whatsoever. A subtle eccentricity permeates this work, reaching a whole new level with its titles names: there is no other way to classify titles such as "Toccata 2000", "Agopuntura", "Ostinadanza", "Industrial shok", "Nero sud" and "Tastodrama". A further element that contributes in making "Dramatest" one of the best examples of the lost art of Italian libraries.

Andrea Balducci is a singer and interpreter who released his debut album "Bloom" on Schema Records in 2012. His timbre resembles crooners such as Frank Sinatra, Jamie Cullum and Michael Buble. he's been performing all over the world for years, and still is, acquiring experiences and shaping his voice around evergreen classics. "Bloom" represented a great artistic challenge, an example of Schema's research and production work: a selection of songs capable to enhance the best qualities of Andrea's voice and involve him emotionally; a rich ensemble of tracks across several musical genres with the aim of showing off the interpretation. The two songs included in this 7-inch, "Spooky" and "Hurt So Bad", directly come from that record and are here played by an exceptional ensemble of musicians: from the Finnish Five Corner's Quintet's Timo Lassi, Jukka Eskola and Teppo Makynen, to famous Italian jazz players Gaetano Partipilo, Luca Mannutza, Pietro Ciancaglini, Alessandro Magnanini and Sandro de Bellis. Two perfect examples of what we just said, two immortal standards that have been modernized and rearranged in a smooth, refined, groovy soul key. This is music that speaks to the heart.

Flavio Boltro introduced me to Leo Corradi at the 2011 Artusi Jazz Festival, with whom we played at the festival. + Later on, we played together again – as a trio and a quartet – music by Stefano Paolini and myself, characterized by strong funk elements. + We recorded at the end of a long day, at breakneck speed and in one take, preserving the ‘live’ feeling, with the outcome resulting in a catchy, vibrant sound, fun yet hard to label. + Connected to tradition, the music embraces a spread of influences from Soul to Funk and Boogaloo, but always sounds unmistakably contemporary. (Alessandro Scala)

As taken from the album : "Spacing through the imaginary musical of "Today's Sound" first of all we can appreciate the structural cut. There is almost a pop suggestion in the search of a "jazz of arrangement" , complex and rich of immediate suggestions, sometimes unreal, poetic, but always anchored to the earth through the strong sense of rhythm. From teh keyboard of his baby grand half buried under old sheet music, books and what other could be blundled in the narrow parlour of an ancient Salentine building, Mauro Tre evokes the imagination of a young composer of uneasy and creative spirit. In "Today's Sound" for instance, the lightness of a certain orchestral bossa jazz melts magnificently with the substance of the double rhythmic track of a pressing samba and bossa in 4/4. Thus, spontaneously, any of the peculiarities of "that" sound originally swinging 60's finds a new contemporary context in which to develop their own plot. At this point it is already evident that the horn section is the fulcrum on which the harmonies of the Intensive Jazz Sextet are laid. Singularly Roberto Forte, Cesare dell'Anna, Giuseppe De Marco and Alessandro Nocco express their past experiences in different ways but each improvisation is part of the arrangement, even when Roberto quotes John Coltrane with his flute. A daring transportation in a drum n' bass key of the first bars of "Nardis" ( M. Davis ) that recompose in a context of psychedelic splinters where the sitar marries the melanchonic thoughtfulness of a Bill Evans pianism in a smoke of arcs and brasses typical of Lalo Schifrin thinned by the muted nightish trumpet. In "Supergiangi va in Brasile" an Afro-Brazilian rhythm flows under the melody from "O Barquinho", born from knows which sunset in who knows which harbour of that part of Italy that faces east, where the Intensive, distant from the metropolitan automatism, have developed the originality of their music. Rhythm has a conclusive role and also in the presence of a funk pattern in "Bitter -CH", Massimiliano Ingrosso and Fabio Capone look for the less obvious solution and there is an almost trip hop imprint in the repeated repetition of the figure the effect is different; between modal accords, fluctuating sections of synthesized arcs, acidic Moogs, and Arabic carpets have jammed the touch of Andrea Sammartino and all that makes even more orchestral the sound of "Today" of the Intensive Jazz Sextet, as also teh variegated voice from the deep Abbey Lincoln tone, bluesy and sweet, of Stefania Di Pierro; as the songs open in a labyrinth of melodies. In "Today's Sound" there is something for all taste from North Africa to the Salento region in Italy then shifting to Brazil and further south. " Nicola Conte