Sandro Brugnolini's Lost Italian Library Epic 'Utopia' Gets First-Ever Reissue

Holy grails from Nico Fidenco and Alessandro Alessandroni are also being unearthed by Sonor Music Editions

BY Brock ThiessenPublished May 27, 2021

Late last year, Italian music innovator Sandro Brugnolini sadly passed away at the age of 89. But the library/jazz titan has hardly been forgotten. In fact, one of his most highly regarded but most elusive albums, Utopia, is only now getting its first-ever reissue.

Longtime Brugnolini champions Sonor Music Editions have announced that they will be unearthing the hugely sought-after 1972 album for the very first time, with Utopia finally coming back to vinyl on June 28.

With the record now being essentially impossible to find, it originally arrived via Bruno Nicolai's esteemed Gemelli label, and it's indeed a holy grail of a record. Being truly epic in scope and sound, Brugnolini was at the top of his game on Utopia, which has gone on to stand as one of his most beloved efforts.

As Sonor puts it: "A brilliant and inspired jazz-funk and lounge Jazz session with just amazing sounds, driven by both dreamy and underground moods, avant-garde jazz refined orchestrations and gorgeous grooves."

For an idea what to expect, you can listen to a sampler of Utopia down at the bottom of the page. Lending a hand on the album are keyboardist Giorgio Carnini on the Hammond, under the direction of Franco Tamponi.

The album will arrive in an edition of 700 copies, with all the audio fully restored and remastered by Sonor. The reissue will also leave the rather amazing album artwork by Michel Seuphor intact.

You can now pre-order Utopia, and considering how quickly Sonor releases have been selling out these days, you likely don't want to sleep on this. You can also order it here via Madlib's Rappcats in North America.

In addition to Utopia, Sonor has a few other releases headed our way too. Also on June 28, the label will reissue Nico Fidenco's Emanuelle in America — a 1977 soundtrack often regarded as the composer's best in his gloriously sleazy Emanuelle scores.

Here's how Sonor describes the release: "Spellbinding, breathtaking and wordless music with dreamy orchestral movements, unbelievable downtempo funk and timeless beats, mental Afro-beat and dancing percussion, sweet psychedelic guitars, subtle female chorus, heavy strings and orchestra, loungy sounds, driving funky drums and so on. Essential Italian OST masterpiece, top-notch recording for any fan of soundtrack music."

You can also hear a sampler from Emanuelle in America down below, as well as pre-order the vinyl reissue now or here via Rappcats. Only 500 copies will be pressed.

Last but not least, Sonor is doing a co-release with the legendary Beat Records to bring us a previously unreleased score from the late, great Alessandro Alessandroni. The labels have managed to dig up the entirely unreleased tapes for the maestro's score to the 1970 action flick Formula 1: Nell'Inferno Del Grand Prix (a.k.a. Maniacs on Wheels).

Featuring Alessandroni's famed I Cantori Moderni, the soundtrack finds the composer in a seriously loungey and groovy headspace, hitting on a similar vibe to that of many of his '70s library classics.


On July 20, the Alessandroni reissue will arrive on CD, digitally and in a limited run of 500 vinyl copies. You can pre-order Formula 1: Nell'Inferno Del Grand Prix now as well, plus listen to a sampler below.





Latest Coverage