Roberto Nicolosi

Composer and orchestra leader Roberto Nicolosi (Genoa, 1914 – Rome, 1989) is recognized worldwide as one of the masters of Italian jazz. He held a degree in medicine and a diploma in piano performance, composition, and double bass. After several years as a practicing dentist, he decided to devote himself completely to music. Among his many activities, he was a member of the first editorial board of the magazine Musica Jazz and, during the first post-war period, served as arranger for Radio Milano’s rhythmic orchestra. He was a well known author and host of radio programs, as well as the conductor of the Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della Rai. During the mid-1950s, he began to collaborate on several soundtracks for feature films, including Black Sunday (1960), The Girl Who Knew Too Much (1962), and Black Sabbath (1963), all of which were directed by renowned filmmaker Mario Bava. Moreover, he composed the scores of Alessandro Jacovoni’s Universe by Night (1962) and Damiano Damiani’s The Reunion (1963). With his fine symphonic style, Nicolosi became a master of the genre. Eye in the Labyrinth (1972) was the last film he wrote music for.