Roberto Fogu, Calogero Taormina

Defying temporal confines and basking in the glow of Italy’s mythical soundtrack era, Jumping is a radiant artifact from the combined imaginations of Roberto Fogu and Calogero Taormina. Recorded in 1977, the album manifests the alliance of two distinct musical minds: Fogu, equally at home behind the microphone as the voice of “Jeeg Robot” and as a cunning arranger, and Taormina, a studio polymath with a knack for penning grooves that feel at once effortless and architectural.

Across the album, the listener is greeted by a parade of orchestral finery - walking basslines saunter beneath swelling brass, strings glisten with just a touch of rococo extravagance, and every element carries the electrified scent of a film studio in frenzy. Fogu and Taormina never stray too far from funk-inflected rhythms, but each track feels like a bespoke miniaturescape, referencing Italian movie libraries and the thrilling urgency of 1970s screen music without ever lapsing into pastiche.

There’s a palpable sense of play here - delicate harpsichord runs emerge and evaporate; grooves turn sharp corners in a split second, leaving only the imprint of adventure. This isn’t simply nostalgia, but a restoration of the magic that animated an era of boundary-free composition. The balance between kitsch and sophistication is handled with genuine affection: “Spiced up with some slightly kitschy strings and some rococo harpsichord sounds. But all well balanced. Nice and groovy Italian movie effects,” as one contemporary reviewer described it.

Returning now in a vividly remastered edition, Jumping isn’t just for crate diggers or soundtrack completists. Its blend of orchestral sweep and playful invention offers a guide to a mode of music-making barely glimpsed in today’s scene—where genre lines are luxuriously blurred and cinematic energy pulses from every measure. Roberto Fogu and Calogero Taormina serve as amiable guides through this feverish diorama, beckoning audiences back to a technicolor world where every groove is an open invitation to move.