Product Review

The first of producer Hal Willner's splendid anthology series. Each outing allows an eclectic array of modern, vaguely avant-garde musicians to explore the work of a single composer. Here Bill Frisell, Sharon Freeman, Deborah Harry, Wynton Marsalis, and Carla Bley, among others, take on the haunting circus atmosphere of Nino Rota's scores for the films of Federico Fellini. The emphasis is on the jazzy, with Frisell's shimmering, ethereal take on Juliet of the Spirits, Jaki Bayard's solo piano version of Amarcord, and Freeman's lively suite from La Dolce Vita among the highlights. Although beginners might prefer Rota in the original soundtrack recordings, this is a welcome addition for the adventurous or those already on board. --Heidi MacDonald