Sexmob have not released an album in 7 long years, but they have become an institution of the experimental jazz scene of New York, impregnating it with fun for the better part of the last 17 years. Lucky for us, Sexmob have revealed a new album is on the way. Cinema, Circus & Spaghetti (Sexmob Plays Fellini: The Music of Nino Rota) is a cinematic tribute that sees Sexmob re-imagining the music of Nino Rota who composed and inspired the surrealist films of celebrated Italian director Federico Fellini.
“Seeing the films was my first exposure to this music. I grew up in Berkeley, and we always had art-movie houses, so we’d go see Fellini films”, explained founding member, bandleader and slide trumpeter Steven Bernstein. “But then what happened is I was 19 years old and I went to my friend’s house, and he said, ‘Check out this record!’ It was Hal Willner’s Nino Rota tribute, and I was like, ‘Wow! Look who’s on it?’ And it’s Carla Bley, Steve Lacy, Jaki Byard. It’s Bill Frisell’s first recording. It’s Wynton Marsalis’ first recording. And then Blondie is on it. Not the full band, but Debbie Harry and Chris Stein. And both of us were just getting our minds blown. We’re like, ‘Wow! What is this? Who is this guy?’ And of course the music was super memorable, and the very idea was just so unbelievable and audacious and cool. It was what we’d all been waiting for.”
Cinema, Circus & Spaghetti (Sexmob Plays Fellini: The Music Of Nino Rota) will see the light of day on March 19 via The Royal Potato Family and can be pre-ordered now.
The first taste to emerge from Sexmob’s upcoming album is the staggering ‘Volpina (Amacord)’. Enjoy!