Acquaphonica Trio feat. B.C. Manjunath

Acquaphonica Trio feat. B.C. Manjunath was born from the encounter between the compositional and pianistic vision of Federica Colangelo and a rhythmic research that moves between contemporary jazz and the Carnatic tradition of South India.

A pianist and composer from Rome, Federica Colangelo first trained in the classical field before moving to the Netherlands, where she obtained a diploma in Jazz Piano and a Master’s degree in Contemporary Composition. It was there that Acquaphonica took shape, conceived as a permanent creative laboratory for her music. Through the albums Private Enemy (2012), Chiaroscuro (2016), and Endless Tail (2019), the project developed a path of progressive experimentation in which jazz, twentieth-century European and American art music—ranging from Charles Ives to Philip Glass, from John Cage to Igor Stravinsky—and the decisive influence of Carnatic music converge. With its rhythmic centrality and sophisticated improvisational system based on oral transmission, Carnatic music plays a key role in shaping a personal musical language that balances structured composition, rhythmic tension, and openness to improvisation.

In June 2025 the trio recorded its fourth album, Forward, in Umbria, together with Igor Legari on double bass and Giovanni Nardiello on drums. Legari, who graduated in jazz double bass from the Santa Cecilia Conservatory and holds a degree in Sociology with research focused on improvisation, is an important figure on the Italian and European jazz scene. Active in composition, improvisation, and interdisciplinary projects, he has collaborated with numerous internationally renowned musicians and participated in the International Jazz Master Program of the Siena Jazz Foundation, studying with artists such as Rufus Reid, Eddie Gomez, Tim Berne, and Billy Hart. His musical approach combines timbral depth, structural awareness, and a strong narrative sensibility.

Giovanni Nardiello, born in 1995, completes the trio with a path that brings together generational energy and rigorous contemporary training. After early experiences in indie rock and pop—performing as an opening act for leading Italian artists—he turned to the study of jazz and improvisation, training with musicians including Gregory Hutchinson, Jim Black, and Ralph Alessi.
He later moved to Tallinn to study Contemporary Improvisation at the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre, where he developed an open and cross-disciplinary approach to rhythm and musical interplay.

A central element of Forward is the presence of B.C. Manjunath, one of the most authoritative percussionists of the Carnatic tradition on the international scene, a master of mridangam and konnakol. The son of the legendary B.K. Chandramouli, Manjunath has developed a rhythmic language of extraordinary complexity and precision, bringing the vocal percussion of konnakol into dialogue with contemporary jazz and improvised music. His collaborations include artists such as John McLaughlin, Zakir Hussain, Shankar Mahadevan, and U. Srinivas. Since 2011 he has been based in Rome, where he is active in projects exploring the meeting between South Indian rhythmic systems and Western improvisation.

In January 2026 the trio, together with B.C. Manjunath, presented Forward on a highly successful tour in India, performing at major venues and festivals in cities including Mumbai, Bangalore, Delhi, and Kolkata. Over the years Acquaphonica has appeared at numerous international festivals and clubs across Europe and India, consolidating a distinctive musical identity grounded in intercultural dialogue, timbral exploration, and the centrality of rhythm as a generative principle of form.

In Acquaphonica Trio feat. B.C. Manjunath, composition and improvisation, contemporary jazz and Carnatic tradition, memory and experimentation coexist within a cohesive and dynamic musical organism, where rhythm becomes a space for encounter and transformation.