“Forward”: Federica Colangelo’s Acquaphonica Finds Freedom, Fire, and Flow in Motion

“Forward” is an exquisite album by Italian pianist and composer, Federica Colangelo. This is one of the finest creations in her long-running project, Acquaphonica. The project was created to bring out the creative intersections across different genres like contemporary jazz, 20th-century classical language, and Carnatic rhythm, all blending organically with each other. Colangelo’s background in classical piano, jazz studies, and contemporary composition shapes a deeply structured yet fluid musical voice. Long-term influence of European and American modernist composers, alongside sustained engagement with South Indian Carnatic traditions, makes this a special project.

Federica Colangelo

“Federica Colangelo turns rhythm into emotion, guiding listeners through a powerful instrumental journey that feels both intimate and expansive.”

Federica’s fourth album, “Forward” introduces a new trio with Igor Legari on double bass and Giovanni Nardiello on drums. Special guest B.C. Manjunath adds a globally rooted Carnatic rhythmic language through mridangam and konnakol. The album is framed conceptually by sound transformation, resistance, memory, and forward motion rather than narrative storytelling. The title track “Forward” acts as a thematic and structural anchor, built on complex polyrhythms and shifting metric tensions. For serious listeners, the piano writing, which alternates between minimalist motifs, block chords, and open harmonic spaces will immediately strike the ears. The double bass, alongside soft piano, provides both grounding and melodic counterpoint, often guiding transitions between composed and improvised sections. Drums move fluidly between jazz timekeeping and textural, dialogue-driven playing.

Despite being instrumental, the album carries a strong emotional narrative through rhythm, tension, and release. The themes of stillness versus motion, restraint versus expansion, and clarity versus abstraction beautifully portray the juxtaposition within the musical arrangements. The album stands as a reflective yet assertive statement in Colangelo’s discography. More than anything, the cross-cultural collaboration feels organic, rooted in deep listening and shared musical language. This album is for anyone looking to move ahead with the music of life.

Test the melodies down here:

Discover more such similar tracks on our Experimental Melodies playlist;