ROME – The 2024 JAZZ & IMAGE Festival next to Rome’s Colosseum has just kicked off. But it’s not just jazz and it’s not just a festival. It’s also a reminder that Rome’s Colosseum was built 1,944 years ago during a glorious Roman era, despite being muddied by its violent conquests and gory spectacles.

Still today, the Eternal city and it’s iconic landmark – once named the Flavian Amphitheatre after the Imperial family that built it – continues repurposing one of history’s most beautiful, evocative and controversial venues. The Colosseum, which witnessed nearly 400,000 human deaths in its heyday, now serves as a backdrop for the melodic sounds of some of the world’s most talented musicians. No matter how many concerts are held in and next to the Colosseum, the knowledge of what this structure once meant for the civilization that built it, good and bad, should always inspire.

Hosted at the Parco del Celio, this year’s festival runs until the 15^th of September. Overlooking the Colosseum, Parco del Celio is a green area that occupies the northwestern part of the Caelian hill. The festival’s line-up includes both Italian and International Jazz masters, and is co-organised by two of Rome’s most historic and iconic jazz clubs, “Alexanderplatz Jazz Club” and “Big Mama”. This year’s event marks the 40^th anniversary of both clubs, and the event promises to be a smorgasbord for Jazz and music lovers. Among the musicians attending, Italian pianist and Jazz Legend Enrico Pieranunzi will be performing. Pieranunzi’s resume boasts over 300 compositions, collaborations with the likes of Chet Baker, Lee Konitz & Charlie Haden, and the distinction of being the first Italian musician (and one of few Europeans) to record an album live at the Village Vanguard – in 2010.

Hosting tens of Jazz concerts a month, Rome is naturally considered the Jazz Capital of Italy, and is home to one of the largest National Museums of Musical Instruments. The Roma Jazz Festival, Casa del Jazz Festival, and the Villa Celimontana Jazz Festival are some of the biggest festivals in the Eternal city as well, further cementing it as one of Europe’s – if not the world’s – meccas for Jazz lovers. Piero Odorici, a Bolognese Saxophonist explains the Italian love affair with Jazz this way:  “Culturally, we come from the classical idea of melody, and I think something in jazz that communicates well with the Italian audience is the melody. Italians love a good, clearly defined melody”. But Turin’s Saxophonist Emanuele Cisi, perhaps more accurately ties it to Jazz’s creative/improvisational characteristics: “Improvisation is present in the daily life of the Italians, at every level, even at times creating problems for those used to a more predictable and organized way of life.”

See the Event’s schedule on www.jazzimage.it – daily shows after 9pm with tickets starting at €5 

Massimo Volpe is a filmmaker and freelance writer from Toronto: he writes reviews of Italian films/content on Netflix