Romano Mussolini

Romano Mussolini was born in Forlì on September 26, 1927 and died in Rome on February 3, 2006. He was an outstanding Italian jazz pianist and versatile artist.

Romano Mussolini had two daughters, including his eldest daughter Alessandra Mussolini, born in 1962, and his youngest daughter Rachele Mussolini, born in 1974. Both daughters are active as right-wing nationalist politicians in Italy, thus carrying on the political legacy of the Mussolini family.

His grandson of the same name, Romano Floriani Mussolini, born in 2003, is a talented professional footballer and plays successfully for the Italian club Lazio Rome.

Romano Mussolini was the youngest son of the historical dictator of fascist Italy, Benito Mussolini, and his mother was Rachele Mussolini, née Guidi. He had two brothers and two sisters in the family.

Romano Mussolini already developed a passionate enthusiasm for jazz music during the period of fascist Italy. He developed into a respected expert on the jazz scene and wrote articles for renowned magazines. Mussolini taught himself to play the piano.

Although he performed classical pieces with his father, who played the violin, it was through his brother Vittorio, who was a jazz lover and author, that he first came into contact with the music of the American opponents of the war. After the end of the Second World War, he performed as a jazz musician in various bands and under different pseudonyms in Ischia, Naples and Rome.

It was not until he founded his band “Romano Mussolini All Stars” that he achieved great recognition in Italy and became a celebrated jazz musician. His album “Jazz Allo Studio 7”, released in 1963, made him internationally famous and enabled him to work with greats such as Chet Baker, Caterina Valente, Dizzy Gillespie, Duke Ellington and Lionel Hampton. Romano Mussolini was a passionate advocate of traditional big band jazz and intimate combos. He promoted young talents through numerous joint recordings, including the trombonist Guido Pisticchi and the tenor saxophonist Massimo D’Avola.

In addition to his musical career, Romano Mussolini was also active in the art scene. His main focus was on figurative painting, often creating clown motifs and occasionally surrealistic landscapes.