Henry Mancini and his Orchestra - "The Versatile Henry Mancini And His Orchestra" LP, Vinyl, Album, 1959 (Liberty)

The album cover alone is worth the purchase, and of course, there's music to go with the graphic cover.  The Versatile Henry Mancini is a combination of exotica and a down kind of mood. This album floats, but it does have its tension.  For one, he's a brilliant arranger.  Everything is top-notch on his recordings.   This is one of my favorite Mancini albums. 

As mentioned its hard to get past the cover, but there are elements here that reminds me of Brian Eno's "Another Green World," as well as some of Brian Wilson's "Pet Sounds" era.   Although the theme of the album is exotica island life, it has a noir quality as well.  Accordion comes between the organ which gives it a charm, with the occasional guitar joining the aural party.  It's a beautiful sound conveying not the islands, but the thought or imagination of such a place.  Mancini is not presenting reality but a 'sound' imaginary place.     Nor is it in your face like a Martin Denny recording.  Mancini is more sleepy, drowsy and very sexual. 

Mancini has done all sorts of music, and the one's I know are his soundtracks and some of his jazz-related recordings.  I never heard his albums devoted to the famous film soundtracks of its time, because the theme turns me off.  But this is an exceptionally great album.   For those who like 'moderne' sounds of the mid-century will go big on this, but also if you like the more experimental or exploration side of exotica. 

Ennio Morricone - "Slalom" CD Album, Reissued, Remastered, 2000 (Dagored)

One of Ennio Morricone's over-the-top or borderline insane soundtracks from the 1970s.  The music sounds like it for a film that is Bond-like but even more cartoonish.  Beautifully conducted by Morricone's fellow composer Bruno Nicolai, as the great one arranged the orchestra.  It seems to me whenever Nicolai and Morricone get together for a session, it is usually a fun and wild music journey.  Here we have jazz touches that border on Rota/Mancini but with the craziest scat vocals. Dissonant strings with horns and what sounds like a bongo drum playing with the melody as if it was a cat chasing a mouse.  

It can be my imagination, but it seems on this one particular soundtrack Morricone plays homage to John Barry, Henry Mancini, and Nino Rota.   The music is light, but under Morricone's direction, it's textured in various and surprisingly turns.   Not a well-known Morricone, which is a crime. For sure it is the ultimate bachelor groove music, but I think with an additional touch of poison.  And on a side note, one can pretty much trust the taste of the people who do the Dagored record/CD label. Their packaging and of course, music, is fantastic. 

John Zorn - "Naked City" CD, Album, U.S., 1990 (Nonesuch)

When I was living in Japan in 1989/1990, it was impossible to go to a good music store and not run into a large John Zorn section.  Zorn at the time had a Japanese label and was living in Osaka.  Me, having a lot of time on my hands, started to investigate the world of Zorn, which is (and still) like jumping into Alice's rabbit hole.  One never knows what they will find at the end of that hole.  The one CD I purchased was Zorn's "Naked City," which is also the name of his all-star band.  Fred Frith on bass (mostly known as a guitarist), Bill Frisell on guitar, Wayne Horvitz on Keyboards, and Joey Baron on drums Zorn on sax, with the Boredoms' Yamatsuka Eye on vocals.   At the time, I thought this would be a good introduction to the world of John Zorn, and I still think it's a great starter to the Zorn aesthetic. 

"Naked City" is a mishmash of different music styles.  Listening to the album for the first time is like going from one neighborhood to another and not being able to distinguish the differences between the areas, due to the speed of the journey.   Ultra hyper, noisy, and extreme melodic beauty all at the same time.   I never really heard music like this before, and hearing it in a foreign (at the time) land added a unique sense of intensity for me.   The very first Zorn album I purchased was in the 1980s, and it was his tribute/take on Ennio Morricone's music.  This was my first introduction to the world of Morricone, so it's interesting to be introduced to the iconic Italian genius through the medium of another genius Zorn.  

All the pieces here are short, and a burst of energy.  Even Georges Delerue's "Contempt" theme which is a beauty of a melody is done at a faster pace.   I have seen the Godard film but was never aware of the music piece till I heard this recording.  Now, I'm obsessed with getting any version of this melody on vinyl.  That with the theme of "Batman," The James Bond Theme," Mancini's "A Shot in the Dark," and the great "The Sicilian Clan" by Morricone.   Zorn, without a doubt, introduced me to the world of soundtracks.   The Morricone tribute album opened the door, and "Naked City" nailed me down for life. 

The Zorn compositions on the album are soundtracked based, but with distinct experimental or free jazz traces, but still held consistently by the insanely tight playing by the band.  So here you have music of great beauty, punk rock, experimental, and free-form jazz, with a touch of noise, courtesy of Eye the vocalist.   A great album with fantastic graphics (normal with Zorn's recordings) and for me, a wonderful introduction to not only to Zorn's compositions and playing but to the deep-end world of soundtrack music.