This landmark album was originally released in 1981 and recorded in tribute to the Italian film composer Nino Rota, focusing on his fruitful collaboration with film director Federico Fellini. It also launched producer Hal Wilner's life project of musical homages and a new underground jazz generation of soundtrack interpreters that would include John Zorn and Bill Frisell. The latter, in fact, makes his debut performance on record here with an offbeat version of the soundtrack theme to Juliet of the Spirits that's a taste of great things to come. As well Amarcord throws together a fledgling Wynton Marsalis and a galaxy of veteran straightaheaders such as George Adams for a Rota-Fellini medley with outsiders such as Muhal Richard Abrams/Michael Sahl on an arrangement of ‘La Dolce Vita Suite’ that included two members of then pop stars Blondie: the two sides were soon to be at loggerheads amid the jazz renaissance of the mid-1980s. There are solo spots for Steve Lacy on soprano sax and pianist Jaki Byard during a brilliantly uplifting take on ‘Amarcord’ (one of Nino Rota's closest soundtracks to jazz) and ‘La Strada’. Wilner's curation – the circus jazz of ‘8 ½’ is tailor-made for Carla Bley's band – is impeccable, with all its idiosyncrasies and depth of interpretation; the candy-store coloured Amarcord cover shot is the icing on the cake. An exceptional package in every sense.