Armando Trovajoli (1917 - 2013) has been one of the most prolific composers of soundtracks for films and musicals, having worked with some of the biggest names in Italian cinema such as directors Dino Risi, Ettore Scola, Vittorio De Sica, Pasquale Festa Campanile and Mario Monicelli, and actors like Sophia Loren, Alberto Sordi and Marcello Mastroianni.
Trovajoli’s name is also linked to Totò’s, the Neapolitan comedy icon for whom he composed many soundtracks. Trovajoli, similarly to Piero Piccioni, is one of the pioneers of jazz in Italy, a genre which he had been performing since the late 1930s, also sharing festival bills with the likes of Miles Davis and Charlie Parker. His production for cinema is distinguished by a great attention to blending quintessentially Mediterranean moods with the latest foreign trends. The result is a body of soundtracks where jazz, psychedelia, funk, and disco elements meet with romantic and folkloristic melodies (“Chiamate 22 22 Tenente Sheridan”, “Sette Uomini D’oro”, “Ieri Oggi Domani”, “Operazione San Gennaro”, “Sessomatto”, “Permette? Rocco Papaleo”). “Profumo di Donna” is perhaps the most notable of these efforts, with its uplifting disco strings à-la Marvin Gaye and melancholic highlights, featuring the timeless classic track “Che Vuole Questa Musica Stasera” featuring Peppino Gagliardi.