Biography
Arrigo graduated in law in Milan, where he practiced law until he became manager of the Mondadori publishing house. He remained Mondadori's manager until 1968. He was the editor-in-chief of Musica Jazz magazine from its foundation in 1945 and became its director in 1965, a role which he retained until his death in 1984. The annual award assigned by Musica Jazz magazine to the best Italian jazz record is named after him (Arrigo Polillo Award).
The organizer of many jazz festivals (including the International Jazz Festival of Sanremo, 1956–1965) and hundreds of concerts, he wrote several books on jazz, of which the most popular to date is Jazz — la vicenda e i protagonisti della musica afro-americana.
In 1978, he published with Mondadori a book of jazz memoirs, Stasera Jazz (Jazz Tonight), which was reprinted in 2007 by the publishing house founded by his son, Marco Polillo Editore, in 1995. After his death, his family donated his collection of records, books and magazines to Siena Jazz. His collection became the founding heritage of the National Centre for Jazz Studies "Arrigo Polillo".
