In 1970, Sandro Brugnolini’s Underground was released by Record TV Discografica, featuring Angelo Baroncini and Silvano Chimenti on guitar, Giorgio Carnini on organ, Enzo Restuccia on drums, and Giovanni Tommaso on bass. The album of rock, funk, and jazz original compositions was recorded between 9 and 22 May the same year at Dirmaphon Studio in Rome.

Side A of composer-saxophonist Sandro Brugnolini’s Underground includes “Psichefreèlico (Sostenuto),” “Impressiànico,” “Reiteratòico,” and “Uauàico,” with “Africaneìdico,” “Bacharàchico,” “Respòndico,” “Psichefreèlico (Ballata),” and “Velocipedèico” on Side B.

The album has been reissued as a download by Pinball Music in 2010, and in vinyl in 2014 by SONOR Music Editions, with three bonus tracks “Diacromèico,” “Ciaciàstico,” and “Dimàndico” taken from an earlier Record TV Discografica album, Musiche per commento (RT 16) that features one side with “Underground di Sandro Brugnolini,” paired with five tracks by Franco Goldani.

The SONOR limited edition vinyl reissue, which was bundled with a digital copy, is the first to reunite the three sides of Underground initially released on the two Record TV Discografica albums, although it opts to use the version of “Psichefreèlico” from the first Record TV Discografica release rather than “Psichefreèlico (Sostenuto)” and “Psichefreèlico (Ballata)” found on second LP (RT 104), as well as the Pinball Music digital reissue.

A video for Sandro Brugnolini’s “Psichefreèlico (Ballata)” has been recently uploaded to YouTube:

The musicians that made Underground recorded the sister album Overground a few months earlier, on 12 and 13 March 1970, also at Dirmaphon Studio. The 1970 Sincro LP features composer Luigi Malatesta, a Brugnolini collaborator on several soundtracks including Gungala la pantera nuda and Dov’é L’Australia, both released by Cinevox in 1968.

The Overground LP, reissued on vinyl in 2008 by Cinedelic and in CD in a mini replica LP gatefold jacket by AMS in 2009, is also now available as a digital download.

Sandro Brugnolini’s “Uauàico” from Underground is online:

Several tracks from Sandro Brugnolini’s two Underground LPs for Record TV Discografica have been used in popular library music and soundtrack compilations.

These include “Diacromèico” on Schema’s Scoctopus – The In Sound From Octopus Records! in vinyl and CD in 1997 and “Psichefreèlico (Ballad)” on the Criminale, Vol. 2 Ossessione LP-CD bundle released by on Pinball Music in 2012.

“Ciaciàstico,” from the first side of Sandro Brugnolini’s Underground that was originally paired with a side of Franco Goldani’s music on Musiche per commento (RT 16), is on YouTube:

The 2010 Pinball Music reissue of Sandro Brugnolini’s Underground is available at online music retailers including Amazon and iTunes.

The original Record TV Discografica LPs are now prized collector’s items that will cost a pretty penny. For example, Discogs currently has a single copy of each one, $2853.00 U.S. That not a misprint as recent copies have traded hands for amounts involving four figures.

Alternatively, a copy of the SONOR Music Editions reissue can usually be found for around $30.00-35.00 at auction sites like eBay or on a music portal such as Discogs.

Pair of Rare Tracks from Stefano Torossi on Record TV Discografica

Approximately half of the documented output of Record TV Discografica, a small Italian library and soundtrack label owned by Edizioni Musicali Firmamento, are compilations of music by various composers that were intended for use on TV, film, and other types of commercial productions.

In 1970, Musiche per commento compilation (RT 33) featured four compositions from Alessandro Derevitzky, three from Carmine Rizzo, and one apiece by Enrico Cortese, Peppino De Luca, and Stefano Torossi.

Stefano Torossi’s “Oasi d’Arabia” is on SoundCloud:

Note: If any legal rights holders object to the posting of this rare, out of print, and unavailable track ripped from this correspondent’s personal collection, please drop a line and it will be removed immediately.

The next year, several of the same composers were chosen for Musiche per commento compilation (RT 62), a Record TV Discografica LP that has four tracks by Carmine Rizzo, a pair by Alessandro Derevitzky, and one composition by Stefano Torossi, as well as contributions from Massimo “Max” Catalano, Bruno Battisti D’Amario, Daniele Paris, Carlo Savina, and two from Piero Umiliani.

According to the Discogs entry for this Musiche per commento compilation, Max Catalano, was also an uncredited composer on Stefano Torossi’s “Rivolo,” while Catalano, Torossi’s old band mate from The Flippers, was also an uncredited writer on Catalano’s “Rounds.” Although possible, this is probably a case where each composer was invited to sign for promotional purposes. The same scenario is almost certainly the case for “Diacromèico,” “Dimàndico,” and “Ciaciàstico” on Sandro Brugnolini’s side of Musiche per commento (RT 16) in which Max Catalano and Stefano Torossi are both listed as uncredited composers.

Stefano Torossi’s “Rivolo” is on SoundCloud:

Note: If any legal rights holders object to the posting of this rare, out of print, and unavailable track ripped from this correspondent’s personal collection, please drop a line and it will be removed immediately.

Three 2016 Reissues featuring Sandro Brugnolini and Stefano Torossi

In 1969, Sandro Brugnolini joined Stefano Torossi to record Musica per comment sonori, the first of more than a dozen albums they have worked on together including the landmark Feelings LP in 1974, with Giancarlo Gazzani and Puccio Roelens, Strumentali: Genere computermusic – homo tecnologicus in 1986, Strumentali: Emozionale in 1987, and Musica per commenti sonori: Acoustic (I Marc Quattro oggi – suoni acustici degli anni ’60-’70) in 1997.

Both the Feelings and Musica per commenti sonori: Acoustic (I Marc Quattro oggi – suoni acustici degli anni ’60-’70) albums have been recently reissued, the latter as a digital download. Italian label Schema, which reissued Feelings in vinyl and CD, plans to do the same with Sandro Brugnolini and Stefano Torossi’s first Musica per commenti sonori LP in July 2016.

Stefano Torossi also served as the producer of Brugnolini’s tracks on Strumentali: Il mondo del lavoro in 1989, with Antonio Sechi, and several compilations including Strumentali: Vita d’oggi in 1991, Commenti musicali: Musica d’epoca – prehistoria e storia antica in 1993, and Musica per commenti sonori: Check Up in 1999–which was recently reissued as a download.

Articles taking a closer look at Musica per commenti sonori, Feelings and Musica per commenti sonori: Acoustic (I Marc Quattro oggi – suoni acustici degli anni ’60-’70), with multiple cuts from each, are located in the ALBUMS section on this site.

More Music from Sandro Brugnolini

Born and raised in Rome, composer and alto sax player Alessandro “Sandro” Brugnolini started out as a member of the Modern Jazz Gang from 1956 to 1965 when he played sax, arranged, and acted as the main writer on albums including Miles Before And After in 1960.

His soundtrack output includes Gli arcangeli from 1962, an album with the Modern Jazz Gang, featuring Helen Merrill on vocals, and Fantabulous, Inc. from 1967, with vocals by Gianpiero Graziano, and L’uomo dagli occhiali a specchio in 1975. Solo efforts include the well-received Utopia album in 1972.

A video for the Modern Jazz Gang’s “Jeenya,” the fourth track on Miles Before And After, features Sergio Biseo on double bass, Sandro Brugnolini on alto saxophone, Leo Cancellieri on piano, Alberto Collatina on trombone, Roberto Podio on drums, Cicci Santucci on trumpet, Puccio Sboto on vibes, Enzo Scoppa on tenor saxophone, and Carlo Metallo on baritone sax, is on YouTube:

Sandro Brugnolini also released a series of albums in the early to mid-1970s under the alias Narassa, almost all with pianist-keyboard player Amedeo Tommasi, including Tensione dinamica, Guerra e angoscia, Camera-Car, and Made In U.S.A.

All of these have been reissued in either CD and/or vinyl, including Intervallo‘s release of Tensione dinamica in both vinyl and digital format in May 2016. Most are now available in digital format, as well.

A closer look at some of the many musical highlights of Sandro Brugnolini is found at an exclusive interview here.

An interview with Giovanni Tommaso, the bass player on both Underground and Overground, that touches on several chapters of his musical career, is also on this site.

Sandro Brugnolini’s “Amofen” from Overground with Angelo Baroncini and Silvano Chimenti on guitar, Giorgio Carnini on organ, Enzo Restuccia on drums, and Giovanni Tommaso on bass. This correspondent highly recommends every cut on this classic release:

Sandro Brugnolini/Narassa Online Sampler on SoundCloud

A Sandro Brugnolini/Narassa audio sampler that currently features tracks from nine albums, including Overground (1970), Underground (1970), Utopia (1972), Viaggio Pop No. 1 (1973), UST 7010 Beat drammatico – Underground – Pop elettronico (1973), Guerra e angoscia (1973), Made In U.S.A. (1970s),  Ritmi e tastiere (1977), and Fantabulous (1968), is located here: