Italian Festa Jazz Club

Across two days, a dedicated theatrette inside the Royal Exhibition Building’s gallery will host some of Italy’s finest jazz talents, creating an intimate club atmosphere. Alongside over 200 stalls of food, wine, art, fashion and culture, this specially curated Italian Festa Jazz Club offers a rare chance to immerse yourself in world-class Italian jazz right here in Melbourne. Saturday 17 October 2:00PM Sandro Giambruno | From Sicily to Melbourne — A Journey Through the Sicilian Legacy of Jazz Conceived by Sicilian-born drummer/composer Sandro Giambruno , this project celebrates Sicilian musicians’ influence on jazz, starting with Nick La Rocca and the Original Dixieland Jass Band and continuing through figures like Louis Prima and Chick Corea. It combines newly arranged early jazz repertoire, original compositions and storytelling to reflect on migration and cultural identity. 4:00PM Gianni Marinucci | CASA: Finding Home Casa: Finding Home is a new musical project by Melbourne trumpeter Gianni Marinucci exploring identity, migration and belonging through the lens of his family’s Italian-Australian story. Combining original compositions, reimagined Italian songs and jazz, Casa blends music with personal storytelling to explore family, memory and cultural identity. While rooted in one family’s experience, the project speaks to the broader Australian story of migration and the many ways we define home. 6:00PM Adam Russo | Che Belle Corde! Swinging on the Strings Jazz Concert A concert paying tribute to early Italian-American jazz guitar pioneers such as Eddie Lang (born Salvatore Massaro) and Nick Lucas (Domenico Lucanese), tracing how the mandolin craze and migration from Southern Italy to New York shaped the development of the archtop guitar in jazz, with a nod to later players like Harry Volpe, Bucky Pizzarelli and Joe Pass. Sunday 18 October 2:00PM Steve Rando | Cinema Italiano Jazz Impressions from the Italian Screen A celebration of Italy’s cultural legacy through jazz and cinematic storytelling, drawing on the music of Ennio Morricone and Nino Rota alongside original compositions by Steve Rando , reinterpreted through contemporary jazz improvisation rather than direct reproduction of familiar film themes. 4:00PM Phil Turcio | Heritage A personal reflection by pianist Phil Turcio on his lifelong connection to Italy, shaped by living in Sorrento as a child and later returning to study piano, celebrating the memories, culture and family heritage that inspire his musical identity. 6:00PM Ashley Ballat | Bloodlines A project led by Melbourne trumpeter/composer/bandleader Ashley Ballat , honouring her grandparents and their varied migration stories. It weaves original modern compositions with archival voice recordings of family gatherings, calls and interviews, combining new and old instruments (trumpet, guitar, percussion, drums, electronics) to explore intergenerational memory and heritage. For the full Italian Festa program and to purchase tickets, check out the website here.