Piero Umiliani / Baker,Chet (Ita) - Smog - O.S.T. (Ita) [CD]

CAM Sugar presents the definitive edition of SMOG, the original soundtrack composed and conducted by Piero Umiliani for Franco Rossi's film of the same name. Written and recorded in Rome in 1962, the score features an extraordinary collaboration with jazz legend Chet Baker, alongside the timeless voice of Helen Merrill. Digitally restored from the original CAM Sugar archive tapes with great care to preserve the warmth and dynamics of the analog recordings, this release is the most complete and faithful version ever issued, expanded with 7 previously unreleased tracks from the original sessions. A landmark of Italian film music and European cinematic jazz, SMOG blends cool jazz phrasing, light orchestration, and minimalist textures to capture the loneliness and allure of early-1960s Los Angeles. This CAM Sugar edition is not a simple reissue, but a true work of historical and cultural restoration, further enriched with editorial content, including an essay by American screenwriter and film historian Larry Karaszewski, and personal recollections by Alessandra and Elisabetta Umiliani, the composer's daughters. A soundtrack that stands equally as a film score and an independent jazz album-elegant, suspended, and strikingly modern-this is a rare and enduring meeting of two masters. Available in double vinyl and double CD.