The siphonophora is an ancient marine invertebrate that lives in the deep. It is not a single creature but rather a union of interdependent organisms that, unable to survive independently at those depths, come together to create a single living structure, which takes on ever-changing configurations and colors, always different and unique.

The new Italian jazz quartet Siphonoforo adapts the aesthetic allure typical of jellyfish to its self-titled debut album. This bass-less quartet features bandleader, guitarist, and composer Marco Pasinetti, trumpeter Tommaso Iacoviello, trombonist Luca Tapino, and drummer-percussionist Pierluigi Foschi, all mentored by master pianist Stefano Battaglia’s workshop on musical research, improvisation, composition, and creation in music. The album was recorded at Ranica in January 2025.

The quartet and its album were inspired by Pasinetti’s studies for his master’s thesis at the Siena Jazz National Academy on bass-less ensembles, including the iconic Jimmy Giuffre trio and the trio of Paul Motian, Joe Lovano, and Bill Frisell. This approach affects the quartet’s spacious dynamics, its shifting leading roles, which refuse to follow familiar, traditional roles, as well as its surprising timbral explorations, using extended breathing techniques and electronics.

The twelve, story-like pieces suggest Siphonoforo as an adventurous,  subversive, and highly versatile and playful unit, always in search of uncharted territories and abysses. These pieces capture Pasinetti and Siphonoforo’s original boundless sensibilities of invention and imagination. Still, the cover of Frisell’s «Probability Cloud» (originally from History, Mystery, Nonesuch, 2008) and the dramatic adaptation of Giuffre’s «Apache» (originally from Western Suite, Atlantic, 1960) shine throughout this promising debut album.

Eyal Hareuveni

Marco Pasinetti (guitar), Tommaso Iacoviello (trumpet, flugelhorn, other unusual winds), Luca Tapino (trombone, other unusual winds), Pierluigi Foschi (drums, percussion)