During the 60s and 70s, Italy was fertile ground for the production of “exploitation” films (genres such as giallo, spaghetti western, crime, erotic, horror…). Morricone was the best-known Italian film composer, but besides him there were many others equally fantastic—names like Piero Umiliani, Piero Piccioni, Bruno Nicolai, Luis Bacalov, Nora Orlandi, and so on… Musicians who often came from the jazz world and who enjoyed a great deal of creative freedom when composing excellent music for these low-budget films, crafting a sound that was unique and original—frequently drawing influences from the groovy, pop, lounge, beat, psychedelia, rock, tropical, or exotic realms . . .