[Dixielandjazz] Italian Jazz

[Stephen G Barbone]

Here are some clips historians may enjoy. They feature Romano  
Mussolini on piano. Yes, Benito's son. I met him and his first wife,  
Anna, (Sophia Loren's sister) when he was playing piano at a joint on  
Capri, during my honeymoon in 1962. Back then he was using the alias  
Romano Full,  because his real name was still a bit of a handicap.  He  
passed away in 2006.

Italians love jazz. As an aside, in the 1930s, American jazz musicians  
were known by Italian names to fit Italy's nationalistic fervor. For  
example, Louis Armstrong was known in Italy as Luigi Fortebraccio, so  
as to imply italian heritage.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QM8VIW0TFw=

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jk_6XPFTx-4&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkkPV6fjk9Y

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FV36_PA8l0&feature=related

and for the banjoists,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWI7Dhwj_oo&feature=related


Don't you just love the seriousness of the way Italians play jazz? Way  
Cool.

Cheers,
Steve Barbone
www.myspace.com/barbonestreetjazzband