Cinedelic Italy Vinyl & CDs

Review: There seems to be a renewed interest in modern classical right now if the number of such records we're finding on our mat is anything to go by. The Cinedelic label out of Italy has got a great one on its hands here as Egisto Macchi serves up Asia. It is a glorious symphony of sound with sweeping strings, layers of rich percussion and a cinematic sense of story telling. After the uplifting opener there are more moody pieces like 'Il Buddy' with its gloomy atmosphere and life affirming sounds on 'Ceylon'.

Review: The late Masahiko Togashi was a legendary Japanese jazz percussionist and composer. Alongside the likes of Yosuke Yamashita he was one of the spearheads of free jazz in Japan, starting his career as a bandleader in 1969. Recording with a quartet consisting of himself on perc, Masahiko Sato on piano, Yoshio Ikeda on bass and Mototeru Takagi on tenor sax and clarinet, Togashi created a masterpiece in Speed and Space. The title says it all, as time gets tested to every extreme and flurries of musicianship burst around unpredictable structures. Recorded in 1969 and still sounding light years ahead, this is a true gem in Japanese free jazz history.

Review: Depending on how you spend your leisure time, you may or may know not that Moana Pozzi was primarily a pornographic actor. Despite this, she was also something of a crossover pop star in 1980s and early 90s who secured some commercial hits in her native Italy. Mondo Groove has recently served up some of them and now Cinedelic serves up her full-length Loveland including three previously unreleased tracks. This one is taken from the original masters and marked her official singing debut. Many of these tunes made it into her films and steamy live shows.

Review: This is one of several version of this superb reissue of Far East, arranger Kiyoshi Yamay and koto legend Toshiko Yonekawa's Tapestry: Koto and the Occident Sea album alongside the Contemporary Sound Orchestra. Known for their seminal work in the 1970s jazz funk scene, the band made this one as part of a three-part series produced by Nippon Columbia that paid tribute to the majesty of one of the main instruments of Japanese traditional music, namely the koto. Divided into chapters called Sea, Hillside and Country, Yamaya brought plenty of contemporary style to these translations while integrating that with the sound of the past. This version comes with a booklet full of extra context.