Romano Mussolini (September 26, 1927 - February 3, 2006) was the third and youngest son of
Benito Mussolini, fascist dictator of
Italy from
1922 to
1943. Romano was never involved in politics, but rather was a well-appreciated
jazz pianist,
painter, and an unsuccessful
film producer.
Biography
A native of
Villa Carpena,
Forlì (
Emilia-Romagna), Romano Mussolini studied music as a child playing classical pieces with his father on the violin.
After
World War II, he started playing jazz under an assumed name and by the mid 1950s, he had formed a trio. Romano Mussolini released a self-titled record through
RCA Records in 1956. By the 1960s, he had formed the "Romano Mussolini All Stars", which became one of Italy's foremost jazz bands.
The All Stars recorded a well-received record
Jazz Allo Studio 7 in 1963 with
At the Santa Tecla following a year later. Mussolini's band toured internationally with artists including
Dizzy Gillespie,
Duke Ellington,
Helen Merrill, and
Chet Baker. In the 1990s, Mussolini recorded two more albums,
Perfect Alibi and
Soft and Swing. His playing style has been described as "...like a slightly melancholic
Oscar Peterson. Occasionally inspired, he was always efficient; he made the refrain run on time."
[He made the refrains run on time: Romano Mussolini, 1927-2006. Mark Steyn, The Atlantic Monthly, May 2006.]Mussolini married in 1962 Anna Maria Villani Scicolone, the sister of
actress Sophia Loren. They had two daughters, Elisabetta, the younger, and
Alessandra Mussolini, who is currently a member of the
European Parliament, and leads an Italian right-wing neo-fascist party,
Alternativa Sociale. Romano Mussolini composed the party's official anthem, "The Pride of Being Italian".
With his second wife, the actress Carla Maria Puccini, he had a third daughter, Rachele, named after his mother (
Donna Rachele Mussolini).
Mussolini was very reserved about his family history. It was only in 2004 that he published a book, entitled
Il Duce, mio padre (
Il Duce, My Father), followed by a similar book in 2005, collecting personal memories and accounts of private confidences and discussions with his father.
He was the last surviving child of Benito Mussolini.
He died, aged 78, in a hospital in
Rome of undisclosed causes.
Selected discography
- The Wonderful World of Louis (2001)
- Napule 'nu quarto 'e luna (2003)
- Alibi perfetto (2004, soundtrack)
