- 33-track compilation released on LP, CD and digital by CAM Sugar
- Highlighting scores by 19 composers including Luis Bacalov, Luiz Bonfá, Ennio Morricone, Bruno Nicolai, Piero Piccioni, Armando Trovajoli and Piero Umiliani
- Includes highlights fromIl Sorpasso, Il Vedovo, La Voglia Matta, Audace colpo dei Soliti Ignoti and more
- Features formidable soloists and artists such as I Cantori Di Alessandroni, Chet Baker, Gato Barbieri, Gianni Basso, Franco D’Andrea, Gegé Munari, I 4+4 di Nora Orlandi, Enrico Rava, Nunzio Rotondo and Oscar Valdambrini
BOOM! is a 33-track compilation of the finest Italian jazz soundtracks, due for release on CAM Sugar on 29 April to mark International Jazz Day [30 April]. Featuring some of the most iconic soundtracks from the late 50s to 60s, BOOM! includes scores by Ennio Morricone, Armando Trovajoli, Piero Piccioni, Luis Bacalov and many more. Taken from CAM Sugar’s extensive archive of over 2000 soundtracks, the collection celebrates the golden age of Italian jazz music with 33 remastered tracks, curated by Pierpaolo De Sanctis. Eleven of the tracks have previously been unreleased and a further nine will be available on vinyl for the first time. The artwork for BOOM! was created by world-renowned calligrapher Luca Barcellona.
For a whole decade, spanning the second half of the 1950s to the second half of the 1960s, jazz took over Italian screens. Italian jazz became the soundtrack of Italy in its economic boom, representing the country’s industrial, social and cultural transformation following World War II. The BOOM! compilation also offers insight into the Italian jazz scene of the times, featuring soloists including Gianni Basso (sax), Oscar Valdambrini (trumpet) and Nunzio Rotondo (trumpet), as well as international stars like Chet Baker and Gato Barbieri.
The golden years of Italian jazz came after the genre was banned by the Fascist regime, during which time jazz was secretly listened to on records smuggled into the country from the United States or through the BBC’s Radio Londra broadcasts. After this period, jazz venues in Italy – also known as hot clubs – started opening across Italy’s major cities, and in 1949 Piero Piccioni hosted a show introducing the country to jazz and its culture on Italian public service broadcaster RAI.
CAM Sugar is the most extensive and representative catalogue of Italian original soundtracks, with over 2000 original scores from over 400 composers. Soundtracks from the archive have won over 500 international awards, including an Oscar for “Best Original Score” for Il Postino. The CAM Sugar team undertakes extensive research to revive and remaster tracks from the archive, 70% of which is currently unreleased. They undertake specialized work to restore original master tapes, reinforcing the legacy of the soundtracks for current and future listeners to enjoy.