Don Ray Club - Solo di Giovedì

In 2025, the Don Ray Club in Melissano inaugurated its activities with the first edition of the «Solo di Giovedì» series, hosted at Palazzo Santaloja and promoted by the Camerata Musicale Salentina in collaboration with the Junior Band Association.

The program combined singer-songwriter music and jazz: the tribute to Franco Battiato with Simone Perrone (vocals) and Danilo Cacciatore (piano), the recital «La mia rivoluzione» by Daniele Gabriele, the project «La spada e l'incanto» by Massimo Donno inspired by the Canticle of the Creatures of Saint Francis of Assisi, and a swing evening with the Toni Tarantino Quartet. The debut provided the town in lower Salento with a new cultural landmark, in memory of Donato Manco, «Don Ray».