Even the informative booklet admits this is an obscurity, jazz music from communist Romania in the 60s and 70s, when the style of music was frowned upon to say the least. This selection has been hand picked by Jazzanova, who have an incredibly good eye for quality in this field. While the first few numbers make an impact – bluesy swing tracks from Guido Manusardi and Johnny Raducanu and the clever echo effect of Aura Urziceanu’s vocals – the crowning glory is the strongly rhythmic ‘Xybaba’ of Marius Popp, eleven and a half minutes of clarinet-led excellence.
5 Out Of 5
Reviewed By: Ben Hogwood
