The interviews were conducted in Milan and Rome between February and May 2022. The sessions with Enrico Intra and Natale Massara were recorded with the support of Alessandro Bratus, while those with Paolo Tomelleri, Bruno Canino, Giacomo Manzoni, and Gaetano Liguori were recorded with the support of Ermanno Novali.
English subtitles are included.
Gian Franco Reverberi (1934-2024) was a musician and composer from Genoa. A member of I Cavalieri, he played a crucial role in introducing the first Genoese "cantautori", including Luigi Tenco and Gino Paoli, to Dischi Ricordi. In the interview, he reflects on Milan’s centrality to his career and the importance of a venue such as Santa Tecla.
Gaetano Liguori (1950) is a Milanese jazz pianist. The interview centres on the memories of his father, Pasquale "Lino" Liguori, a jazz drummer of Neapolitan origin who was active both in the Milanese nightclub scene and in the world of the emerging recording industry. It was in the wake of his father’s professional activity that Gaetano took his first steps in music.
Paolo Tomelleri (1938) is a jazz clarinettist, saxophonist, and bandleader. A member of various traditional jazz bands, including the Windy City Stompers, he was also part of I Cavalieri, the group that often performed on Dischi Ricordi records. In the interview, he recalls his experiences in nightclubs, describing the conditions that shaped an entire generation of musicians.
Natale Massara (1942) is a clarinettist, saxophonist, composer, and arranger. In 1958 he joined I Ribelli di Adriano Celentano and a few years later began collaborating with Lucio Battisti. In the interview, he recounts how his studies at the Conservatory led him to move to Milan at a young age, and how his early experiences in the city proved central to his career. His memories contribute to the reconstruction of historical venue categories such as "Cinema teatro" and "Dancing".
Giacomo Manzoni (1932) is a Milanese composer, translator, and music critic. His work is closely associated with experimental and contemporary repertoires. His interview explores the central role played by the Studio di Fonologia Musicale as well as the distinctive position of avant-garde music within Milan’s scene.
Enrico Intra (1935) is a Milanese jazz pianist, composer and conductor. In addition to his activity as a musician, in 1962 he was founder of the Intra's Derby Club, later known as Derby, one of the most famous venues in the city. In the interview, he reflects on the conditions through which jazz spread across the urban fabric of Milan, between cellars and nightclubs.
Bruno Canino (1935) is a pianist, harpsichordist, and composer. During his interview, he recalls the environment of the Conservatorio G. Verdi in Milan and the role played by teachers and older students, including Giacomo Manzoni and Luciano Berio, in the diffusion of contemporary music. His memories help to contextualise the different performance circuits of classical music.
Lino Patruno (1935), co-founder of I Gufi, is a banjoist and guitarist active in traditional jazz, folk music, and cabaret. In the interview, he recalls how the Santa Tecla served as a place of learning, and he evokes encounters and trajectories across urban performance spaces that were essential to the development of his career.