For a whole decade, spanning between the second half of the 50s and the second half of the 60s, jazz took over the Italian screens. The Californian be-bop rhythms, filtered and reinterpreted in a typical Mediterranean key, became the perfect soundtrack to the Italy of the economic boom; the quintessential music for a country that was sailing through a moment of profound and exciting industrial, social and cultural renovation. A nation that was rapidly shedding its skin, changing its style, look and identity, but also its landscape, letting itself go to the inebriation of the economic miracle. The compilation was conceived like a sonic stream, a journey of discovery carefully sequenced from hundreds of soundtracks from the golden age of Italian jazz contained in the CAM Sugar archive. 33 tracks that go beyond music, telling the story of Italian cinema, society and of its unmistakable style and charm. A genre that even when nodding to Californian be-bop, to crime jazz or bossa nova still sounds surprisingly original and Mediterranean, elegant, and seductive, either with joyous peaks (the scat of I Cantori Moderni di Alessandroni or of I 4+4 di Nora Orlandi) or with enigmatic and nearly dramatic nuances (La strega in amore by Luis Bacalov, Il batticuore by Marcello Gigante). The compilation also offers a precious insight into the Italian jazz scene of the times, with its string of formidable soloists like Gianni Basso (sax) and Oscar Valdambrini (trumpet), two Piedmontese men on duty for the RAI television orchestra conducted by Armando Trovajoli; like Nunzio Rotondo (trumpet) a legendary and elusive figure who had a special bond with Piero Piccioni; or like Enrico Rava (trumpet), Franco D’Andrea (piano) and Geg Munari (drums) who often recorded with Piero Umiliani. Not to forget international stars like Chet Baker and Gato Barbieri, who were often fortuitously dragged into the recording sessions also thanks to Umilianis never-ending curiosity.
TRACKS
1 Piero Umiliani Notte in Algeria I PIACERI PROIBITI
2 Francesco De Masi Oggi in Africa ALLA SCOPERTA DELLAFRICA
3 Ennio Morricone Agosto Jazz LA VOGLIA MATTA
4 Armando Trovajoli Jumping IL VEDOVO **
5 Nino Oliviero, Bruno Nicolai Ora di Punta MONDO CANE No. 2
6 Riz Ortolani Il sorpasso (Titoli ripresa) IL SORPASSO *
7 Marcello Giombini Notti damore a Tokyo LE DOLCI NOTTI
8 Aldo Piga Il vedovo bianco AMORE FACILE *
9 Piero Umiliani Tensione AUDACE COLPO DEI SOLITI IGNOTI
10 Gianni Ferrio Frenesia dellestate (Titoli) FRENESIA DELLESTATE **
11 Luiz Bonf Coppia in crisi LE ORE DELLAMORE **
12 Piero Piccioni Your Smile 3 NOTTI DAMORE
13 Giuseppe De Luca Il treno rosa MILLE PECCATI NESSUNA VIRTU *
14 Marcello Gigante Gardenia SEDIA ELETTRICA
15 Piero Umiliani In fondo alla notte UNA BELLA GRINTA **
16 Luis Bacalov La strega in amore (Titoli) LA STREGA IN AMORE
17 Piero Umiliani 7 monaci doro (Titoli) 7 MONACI DORO *
18 Gianni Ferrio Il raggio infernale (Titoli) IL RAGGIO INFERNALE *
19 Francesco De Masi Perry Scott Blues SINFONIA PER DUE SPIE
20 Caro Rustichelli Sexy Lucy ASSICURASI VERGINE **
21 Carlo Rustichelli Allegre notti LETTI SBAGLIATI *
22 Piero Umiliani Il Nero M1 IL NERO *
23 Carlo Rustichelli Night Blues GLI IMBROGLIONI
24 Marcello Giombini Miniswing orientale NUDO CRUDO E *
25 Carlo Savina Agente 077 Sfida ai killers (Titoli) AGENTE 077 SFIDA AI KILLERS
26 Aldo Piga Le notti della violenza (Titoli) LE NOTTI DELLA VIOLENZA *
27 Ivan Vandor Gangsters BERSAGLIO MOBILE **
28 Armando Trovajoli Giallo Club CHIAMATE 22-22 TENENTE SHERIDAN *
29 Marcello Gigante Il batticuore IL MOSTRO DI VENEZIA **
30 Aldo Piga Concorso per giovani attrici LETTO DI SABBIA **
31 Piero Umiliani Milano Blues (edit) BIANCO, ROSSO, GIALLO, ROSA
32 Giorgio Zinzi Atmosfera di Night LA COSTANZA DELLA RAGIONE
33 Piero Piccioni Dea di un sogno (versione tromba e organo) UN TENTATIVO SENTIMENTALE **