Gato Barbieri - Last Tango In Paris OST (1972)

Gato is my favourite jazz musician ever. I enjoy his more weird free-ish stuff, but this 'commercial' release (the soundtrack to a famous film I've never watched fully - I guess I find sex boring?) cuts the cake: it's one of the most emotional collections of music ever committed to vynil (originally - you'd be well-advised to get the remastered Cd version with previously unreleased bonus material). Every track on offer is an emotional roller-coaster and a masterpiece. The beauty of the music is truly beyond words. Do yourself a favour and check it out, if you like latin-tinged jazz with a lot of soul (not in the musical sense). It's music that will break your heart, but it will do so very sweetly. A magnificent piece of work.
It's impossible to choose one particular stand-out track, it's just a seamless collection of heart-wrenching, emotive melodies, amazingly every track seems to be better than the last one (the mark of a really great album), up until the grand rousing finale.
A mesmerizingly beautiful listening experience from beginning to end. Heavenly music. I'm telling you, it doesn't get much better than this. Aching melancholia to melt your heart strings.
The musical themes are repeated throughout, but varied with different arrangements and speeds, making this album very pleasant and not repetitive at all. An absolute joy to listen to.

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© Sarah Morgan