Dialogo Italy Schallplatten & CDs

Review: This is the first-ever reissue of Gianni Marchetti's 1978 LP Solstitium, which was originally released as part of RCA's "Original Cast" series in limited promo copies and has long been considered one of the most rare and enigmatic pieces of Italian library music. Library music was primarily created for television, radio and film but often yielded hidden gems that fused jazz, lounge and soul into storytelling vignettes of sounds. Marchetti's wonderful Solstitium is a prime example of innovation within this space which rightly remains a classic in the history of Italian music.

Review: As well as sporting a superb moustache, Enrico Rava was also the first Italian jazz artist to break out onto the international scene. He was born in Trieste in 1939 and 'Pupa o Crisalide' is one of the most interesting works in his catalogue. It sums up what he was about in the first chapter of his career with a selection of treks made with different musicians alongside him including Giovanni Tommaso, Bruno Biriaco, Franco D'Andrea and Michele Ascolese. There are fiery, funky and edgy tunes as well as jazz-rock inspire fusions and then more serene and Latin flavour jams in the second half.