A month later, Rome remembers an unforgettable night of music and life**
A month after the 90 Jazz Show, the magic of that evening at the Patrassi Hall of theAuditorium Parco della Musica continues to resonate in the memory of Roman audiences. Not a simple concert, but a true collective ritual dedicated to a Maestro who has crossed the history of Italian jazz: Lino Patruno, ninety years old worn with the lightness of the greats. On November 3, 2025, Rome welcomed a tribute that became storytelling, celebration, gratitude.
The cherry wood walls of the hall vibrated like a living ecosystem, returning a warm and enveloping sound, as if to cherish that night as a precious fragment of the city’s culture.
When music becomes memory
Curator Sabina Fattibene and conductor Riccardo Mei opened the evening amid excitement and anticipation. The Banda di Roma Capitale, led by maestro Andrea Monaldi, gave a prologue in the audience, bringing music closer to the people, until the intense interpretation of the theme from Once Upon a Time in the West performed by mezzo-soprano Isabella Amati.
Immediately following, the official awards: the Meritorious Medal for Art and Culture presented by the Honorable Federico Rocca, and Nadia Mayer ‘s elegant tribute with two Magnum Oro from the Bottega winery.
A journey through the history of a total artist
An exciting video traced the Maestro’s multifaceted career:
from the Owls of the 1950s to iconic television appearances to stages shared with jazz giants such as Joe Venuti. Also, the 1993 San Marino concert with Giovanni Mazzarino, Laura Fedele, Carlo Loffredo, Romano Mussolini, Gil Capponi, Gianni Sanjust, Hengel Gualdi and many other protagonists of an unrepeatable era. The vocal quartet Le Armonie then immersed the hall in an elegant retro journey with a 50s and 60s medley that warmed up the audience.
Among the most applauded performances was that of Italian-Brazilian singer Italia Vogna, an artist capable of weaving Neapolitan melodies, Portuguese influences and a contemporary soul.
Her voice – warm, evocative, deep – perfectly represented the spirit of jazz that Patruno loves: free, contaminated, universal.
A carefully chosen presence, as always in Patruno’s evenings, who has the rare instinct to surround himself with performers capable of turning every note into a story.
The evening also recalled the Maestro’s cinematic forays: from Fellini’s Amarcord to Bruno Corbucci’s Porta Romana to Franco Nero’s Forever Blues, a film for which Patruno composed the music, winning a Golden Globe.
Solidarity as the Master’s figure
The solidarity aspect was not missing: the evening supported Prof. Italo Megaro’s non-profit organization OILFA, which is engaged in the renovation of the pediatric oncology ward at Policlinico Umberto I. A gesture that tells, perhaps more than anything else, the humanity of the Maestro.
The parterre of affections
Among the audience, many friends:
Maurizio Micheli, who gave an amusing Marche version ofInfinito;
Greg, Benedicta Boccoli, Donatella Pandimiglio, Francesca Ceci, Ornella Giusto, Nadia Bengala, producer Claudio Bucci, engaged in a documentary on Patruno’s life.
The 90 Jazz Show: the party on stage
Led by the elegance of Elena Presti, the concert saw Patruno joined by an outstanding ensemble:
- Gianluca Galvani – cornet
- Carlo Ficini – trombone
- Raffaele Gaizo – clarinet
- Giorgio Cuscito – sax
- Silvia Manco – piano and voice
- Guido Giacomini – double bass
- Riccardo Colasante – drums
- Emanuele Urso – clarinet & swing
Also on stage were artists who added personality and color to the evening:
Minni Minoprio, Morgan, Clive Riche and Franco Nero, who led the grand finale with When the Saints Go Marchin’ In.
An applause that still lasts
The finale with all the artists together, the cake, Happy Birthday to You and the Maestro blowing out the candles amid endless applause, consigned that night to history.
And today, a month later, that magic has not dissolved.
It remains in the memory, like a melody that keeps coming back.
Rome did not just celebrate a birthday.
It paid tribute to a living legacy, capable of spanning time.
Photo credits: Giancarlo Fiori
