An excellent recording, a pristine pressing, mastering by George Marino - this thing's got air and depth in spades. The music is warm and smooth, accessible and catchy. The Umbrellas pay ultimate homage to Nino Rota, one of the most prolific and acclaimed film composers of all time, by putting first-rate musicianship to his scores of the films of director Federico Fellini. Instrumentation includes piano, organ, accordion, alto saxophone, trombone, pocket trumpet, vibes, marimba, double bass, tuba and drums.

"What is it about Nino Rota's music for Fellini's films? For me, the answer is straightforward: melody. To put it even more simply - Nino Rota could write a great tune. He was also a skilled orchestrator, and supremely adept at using harmony or rhythm as the musical focus, but I believe his driving force was always his sense of melody. He wrote melodies that listeners responded to immediately, could recall easily and moreover wanted to hear over and over again. Melodies that could be beautiful, evocative, humorous or stylish and, in the best cases, all of the above. He had the ability to express the big issues using as few notes as possible. To create something exquisitely beautiful, yet so simple we think we could have done it ourselves. Like all great pop song composers he knew exactly where to put the minor chord. Like all geniuses he had the ability to say something of the utmost importance in the most direct and engaging way. He did this by infusing his unparalleled sense of melody with such disparate elements as folk tunes, circus music, and operatic passion and grandeur, and all with consummate Italian style and a sense of humour. How could we resist? - Peter Dasent, The Umbrellas

Track Listing
1. Amarcord #1 Titolo
2. Amarcord #2 La 'Fogaraccia'
3. Amarcord #3 Le 'Manne' Di Primavera
4. Otto E Mezzo
5. Amore Per Tutti
6. Faccette Scintillate
7. Rugiada sui Ranocchi
8. Vascello Di Susi
9. Rosa Aurata
10. La Ballerina Del Circo Snap
11. I Teatrino Delle Suore
12. Valzerino del Nonno