Despite the protestations of navel-gazing pundits, paying tribute to one's artistic forebears has been a part of music for centuries. But young Italian composer Daniele Luppi takes that sensibility into buoyant, if largely... more » unexplored territory on this loving tribute to the musicians who toiled for Morrricone, Rota, Bacalov, and others on the Roman soundtracks of his youth. Reuniting the surviving three-quarters of the original MARC 4 ensemble (the Italian film scoring equivalent of Phil Spector's vaunted studio "Wrecking Crew") and supplementing them with the legendary Allesandro Allesandroni (whose distinctive whistling and other skills became icons via Morricone's Good, the Bad and the Ugly, A Fistful of Dollars, and others) and guitarists Silvano Chimenti and Luciano Ciccaglioni. The title track and "Fashion Party" are evocative showcases for the revival's possibilities, their loping melodies carried by the gentle, haunting vibrato of Allesandroni's whistle. If Luppi's lounge-savvy fetish for '60s-'70s Italian cinema party scene kitsch occasionally gets the better of his judgement, tracks like the acid-trippy "Free Love Sequence," "Fetish Quartet," and "Jet Set" are delivered with a skewed bravado (liberally seasoned with twanging guitars, exotic percussion, and vintage Moog burbling) that's hard to resist. --Jerry McCulley« less
Despite the protestations of navel-gazing pundits, paying tribute to one's artistic forebears has been a part of music for centuries. But young Italian composer Daniele Luppi takes that sensibility into buoyant, if largely unexplored territory on this loving tribute to the musicians who toiled for Morrricone, Rota, Bacalov, and others on the Roman soundtracks of his youth. Reuniting the surviving three-quarters of the original MARC 4 ensemble (the Italian film scoring equivalent of Phil Spector's vaunted studio "Wrecking Crew") and supplementing them with the legendary Allesandro Allesandroni (whose distinctive whistling and other skills became icons via Morricone's Good, the Bad and the Ugly, A Fistful of Dollars, and others) and guitarists Silvano Chimenti and Luciano Ciccaglioni. The title track and "Fashion Party" are evocative showcases for the revival's possibilities, their loping melodies carried by the gentle, haunting vibrato of Allesandroni's whistle. If Luppi's lounge-savvy fetish for '60s-'70s Italian cinema party scene kitsch occasionally gets the better of his judgement, tracks like the acid-trippy "Free Love Sequence," "Fetish Quartet," and "Jet Set" are delivered with a skewed bravado (liberally seasoned with twanging guitars, exotic percussion, and vintage Moog burbling) that's hard to resist. --Jerry McCulley
"This is a fantastic album, an homage to Italian soundtracks of the 60's and 70's. Sound obscure? Don't worry, its impossible not to feel cool listening to this jazzy masterpiece. Luppi wrote an album ode to the music he loved and then gathered the musicians who made that music and had them play his songs. This was the Italian cinema equivelent of writing a bunch of songs that sound like the Beatles and then getting the Beatles to reform and play them. Imagine if Sean Connery-era James Bond was Italian. This would be his soundtrack."
Lounge / Italian Film Score Fans Unite !!!
Paul A. Fucito | Washington, DC | 06/10/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This CD is an amazing, yet fairly unknown masterpiece that deserves serious attention by lounge and Italian cinema fans alike. Think back to all of the classic film scores by Morricone and Rota, and you will begin to understand the feel of ths CD. "Fashion Party" and "An Italian Story," complete with their whistled melodies, sound fresh out of a Clint Eastwood spaghetti western. Vintage organs and synths take center stage in "Nightclub" while smooth guitar riffs croon throughout "Free Love Sequence" and "Fetish Quartet." "Telecinebeat" opens like an Italian James Bond mission. Be sure to check out Luppi's website for some great remixes of "Fashion Party" by the way. The 1960's Italian cinema sound is no accident, as the original musicians who produced those scores back in the day, The MARC 4 ensemble, are the main ingredient behind Luppi's time transending masterpiece. While other lounge artists rely on samples of great soundtracks, Luppi performs with the real deal, and that says something. The sound is purely vintage, yet thoroughly modern at the same time. Fans of Nicola Conte, Dimitri From Paris, Ursula 1000, Thievery Corporation, and the like will feel right at home with this album and old school Morricone fans will not believe this is a new recording, as it sounds as genuine as the era it is honoring. I'd also suggest this for fans of 60's and 70's Italian / European film soundtracks or studio music library collections. Grab an espresso and do some people watching at your favorite bistro or coffee house with this CD playing in your portable player."
Wanna be transported to a groovier time?
Kenny Covington | Spartanburg, SC USA | 06/14/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This cd is so hot, my system melted! I felt as if I was at a party given by Peter Sellers, dancing w/ Jean Shrimpton to "Hypermodels", and drinking a cocktail w/ Michael Caine, as "JetSet" was spinning on a turntable. No, I wasn't tripping!!! I was listening to Daniele Luppi's cd, "An Italian Story"! This masterpiece grooves, rocks and soothes all in one sizzlin' disc. Every song tells a story, please explore this artist...he's to cool to pass up!"
Enter a world quite unlike your own
D. Lyon | Washington, DC USA | 04/02/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This album is fantastic. The cover is great, as are the liner notes. If you like instrumental music to obscure italian movies from the sixties, then you will love this. It sounds like it was from one of those movies, not something made today. This album will appeal to fans of E. Morricone, Peter Thomas, all the Crippled (...)Hot Wax stuff like Popshopping, Gert Wilden, Jerry Van Rooyen, Riz Ortolani, the Easy Tempo series, etc. Very upbeat, fun, totally danceable, in that swinging sixties way, where the girls are beautiful, the men are handsome, and everyone is free to eat, drink, and make love until the dawn . . . Just listen to the music -- you'll see what I mean."