Although born in Italy,
Aldo Romano moved to France with his family at a young age. He was already playing guitar and drums professionally in Paris in the '50s when he heard
Donald Byrd's group with drummer
Arthur Taylor. Since then, he has dedicated himself to the drums and contemporary jazz. In Paris jazz clubs like le Chat Qui Pêche and the Caméléon,
Romano has accompanied visiting Americans like
Jackie McLean,
Bud Powell,
Lucky Thompson,
J.J. Johnson, and
Woody Shaw while also exploring free music with
Don Cherry and
Gato Barbieri,
Frank Wright and
Bobby Few,
Michel Portal,
François Tusques,
Jean-Louis Chautemps, and
Steve Lacy.
Romano's boundless curiosity for any living music brought him in contact with electric jazz in the '70s, playing at the Riverbop with longtime associate/bassist
Jean-François Jenny-Clark, in addition to
François Jeanneau,
Henri Texier,
Charlie Mariano, and
Philip Catherine. In 1978, he released his first album as a leader with
Claude Barthélémy (Il Piacere, OWL), followed by 1980's Night Diary with
Didier Lockwood and
Jasper Van't Hof, and 1983's Alma Latina with
Philip Catherine. In 1980,
Romano brought pianist
Michel Petrucciani to the world's attention, introducing him to the producer of Owl Records. His Italian roots were lovingly remembered with the foundation of his Italian Quartet with
Paolo Fresu,
Franco D'Andrea, and
Furio Di Castri. The quartet recorded To Be Ornette to Be and Water Dreams (Owl) and Non Dimenticar, a collection of Italian songs (Verve). Palatino -- named for the Rome-Paris night train -- also includes
Fresu, with
Glen Ferris on trombone. Intervista (Verve, 2001) -- with bassist
Palle Danielsson, saxophonist
Stefano di Battista, and Brazilian guitarist
Nelson Veras -- is a magnificently played overview of his musical career, with
Ornette Coleman-ish tunes, Latin-American compositions, and operatic arias; a bonus CD contains a charming interview. ~ Francesco Martinelli