42 – Ària
42 Ària
The new album by the quintet is released on nusica.org: a rarefied sound suspended between acoustic elements and sound processing, with the dialogue between voice and trombone as a defining feature, balancing improvisation and composition, experimentation and song form.
The album will be available on all digital platforms from April 18,
preceded by the single Time Thieves, released on April 10.
Ària
Giuditta Franco – vocals
Edoardo Cian – guitar, banjo
Giulio Tullio – trombone
Francesco Bordignon – double bass
Francesco De Tuoni – drums
Ària: rarefaction as a language, between voice and trombone in counterpoint
Released on Friday, April 18 via nusica.org, Ària is the new album by the eponymous quintet featuring Giuditta Franco (vocals), Edoardo Cian (guitar and banjo), Giulio Tullio (trombone), Francesco Bordignon (double bass), and Francesco De Tuoni (drums). Preceding the album, the single Time Thieves will be available from Thursday, April 10.
Ària was originally formed as a trio (voice, guitar, trombone) with the aim of placing all instruments on the same level and creating a space open to improvisation. At its core lies the exploration of a rarefied sound: through effects and timbral research, individual identities multiply and merge into a true “group sound.”
The evolution into a quintet expands the sonic field: double bass and drums add a rhythmic foundation and a broader timbral range, highlighting the interplay of voices and harmonies of the original nucleus while introducing new impulses in terms of groove. Within this balance between rarefaction and tension lies one of the group’s defining traits: the counterpoint between trombone and voice—two lines close in range and color, conceived as a kind of ensemble “double voice.”
“In an ensemble with a vocalist, we are used to hearing the voice as the leader,” says Giuditta Franco. “I wanted to explore a different role: bringing it onto the same level as the other instruments. We were very drawn to the idea of a dialogue with the trombone, creating a kind of counterpoint—timbrally they are very similar. It’s a sonic exploration that opens up countless possibilities, not just the expression of lyrics—and that is one of the most important aspects for me.”
The pieces on Ària are largely original, written by individual members and then developed collectively during the arrangement process.
The intention is to create sonic images with an almost visual quality, like brushstrokes taking shape over time. This path has also been shaped in educational contexts such as Siena Jazz and nourished by shared references: the Azimuth trio of Norma Winstone, John Taylor, and Kenny Wheeler as a key horizon, alongside influences from the musical worlds of Carla Bley and Charlie Haden.
The repertoire mediates between free improvisation and composition, bringing together radical experimentation and a focus on song form.
Tracks
Time Thieves, composed by Francesco Bordignon and chosen as the lead single (out April 10), is a “space ballad” structured in three sections (theme – improvisation – theme), with a dramaturgy built on progressive revelation. The theme consists of two distinct lines—long notes entrusted to voice and trombone, and a more articulated line assigned to guitar and double bass—but in its first statement, the guitar moves freely, withholding the full melodic interplay until the end. The central section is a radical improvisation: in the album version, the collective solo was recorded starting from the energy and density of a climactic moment, gradually thinning the sonic texture into a minimalist environment, then reversed. The listener thus travels the path in reverse—from minimalism toward an increasingly dense texture, made of sounds that, once inverted, partially recall conventional instruments while offering unexpected timbres. This leads to the final theme, performed for the first time in tempo and with groove, with the two melodic lines fully intertwined while the drums orchestrate the whole, driving the piece to its dynamic peak.
Underwater by Edoardo Cian unfolds in a slow rarefaction, with a sound that shapes itself into an almost metaphysical dimension before dissolving into silence. It originates from a repeated ostinato note that generates the entire composition, moving through enigmatic chords and rhythmic illusions before opening in its third section to folk and rock echoes. Here, the ostinato note does not disappear but instead generates a recurring melodic phrase that, together with the lyrics, underscores the difficulty of movement and the continuous attempt to free oneself from a limiting condition.
Wonders by Giuditta Franco builds a dreamlike atmosphere of reverberant sounds and echoes, with the voice becoming a sonic evocation and the trombone doubling the melody in unison. A more acoustic, almost rock-oriented section—driven by meter—leads to a final theme in which the melody expands and dissolves into new overlapping lines between voice and trombone, closing the circle of the sonic experience.
Valinys by Edoardo Cian, dedicated to the work of composer and percussionist Sylvain Darrifourcq, explores polymeter and “fragmented groove”: the mechanical interlocking of drums and guitar, set against the bowed double bass, contrasts with the lines of trombone and voice in a continuous dialectic between constraint and freedom. In the central section, drums and guitar break free from the pattern to engage in spatial dialogue, before returning to the awkward final meter, where trombone and voice improvise freely over a still-mechanical riff, leading to a coda in which each instrument gradually “freezes” on single notes of the theme, dissolving into a single final pitch.
Alongside the original compositions, the album includes two reinterpretations. Holland by Sufjan Stevens is reimagined within an ensemble framework in which the dialogue between voice and trombone becomes both narrative and timbral axis, while sound processing shifts the piece into the group’s sonic environment. Black and White by Stefano Onorati and Marco Tamburini, with lyrics by Giuditta Franco, is another significant reworking, developed by the quintet as part of its evolving repertoire.
Ària – Ària
Tracklist
Valinys — music by Edoardo Cian
Holland — music and lyrics by Sufjan Stevens, arranged by Ària
Wonders — music by Giuditta Franco
Time Thieves — music by Francesco Bordignon
Black and White — music by Stefano Onorati and Marco Tamburini, lyrics by Giuditta Franco, arranged by Ària
Valinys Reprise — music by Edoardo Cian
Underwater — music by Edoardo Cian, lyrics by Giuditta Franco
Recorded on August 12–13, 2025 at Eastland Recording Studio, Cormòns (GO), by Francesco Blasig.
Mixed and mastered by Francesco Blasig. Produced by Ària.
Production
Released by nusica.org, 2026
Info
www.nusica.org – info@nusica.org
Press & Communication
Giuseppe Bettiol – comunicati@giuseppebettiol.it – +39 349 1734262
Profiles
Giuditta Franco – vocals
Born in 2001, she studied at the “A. Steffani” Conservatory in Castelfranco Veneto, the Royal Conservatory of The Hague, and the Siena Jazz Academy. In 2024 she won the National “Chicco Bettinardi” Prize (vocal category). She has undertaken residencies and performed in Italy and abroad, also pursuing advanced studies at the New England Conservatory in Boston.
Edoardo Cian – guitar
A guitarist trained at the “Cesare Pollini” Conservatory in Padua (diploma 2023) and currently enrolled in the Master’s program at Siena Jazz University. He received a scholarship for the Berklee Undergraduate Program at Umbria Jazz Clinics (2022) and was a finalist in the Conad Jazz Contest/Conad Jazz Festival with F.A.D.E. Quartet (2023). He is also active in projects such as Cenobium and in interdisciplinary contexts (contemporary circus, international workshops).
Giulio Tullio – trombone
Born in 1997, a trombonist active across jazz, recording projects, and theater productions. He has collaborated with artists and ensembles in various fields, including Elio, Fabio Concato, Fabrizio Bosso, and Danilo Rea, performing at national festivals and concert series. Alongside live activity, he is involved in studio recordings within jazz and pop contexts.
Francesco Bordignon – double bass
Born in 1999, he graduated with honors from the “A. Pedrollo” Conservatory in Vicenza (2022) and continued his studies at Siena Jazz. Active on the jazz scene with concerts and collaborations in Italy, he combines live performance with recording projects. In 2024 he received the Enzo Frassi Prize.
Francesco De Tuoni – drums
Born in 1999, he studied jazz drums and percussion at the “Cesare Pollini” Conservatory in Padua and graduated with honors from Siena Jazz University. Finalist in the Conad Jazz Contest/Conad Jazz Festival with F.A.D.E. Quartet (2023), he participates in recording and live projects with musicians from the Italian scene, continuing his activity across concerts, recordings, and ensemble productions.
Ària
Underwater (E. Cian / G. Franco)
Underwater evokes the concept of rarefaction, the slowness of movement, and how sound is shaped within a metaphysical dimension, eventually transforming into silence before resurfacing. It aims to describe this underwater condition that prevents a clear perception of things, altering the shape of reality, which ultimately becomes trapped in emptiness, in the abyss, like in a surreal nightmare, as described in the final line of the lyrics. The words convey these sensations which, in the music, are mainly expressed at the beginning through a static melodic cell: in fact, the piece originates from a repeated and insistent note that gives life to the entire composition. From a very simple cell, harmony and rhythm take shape, through enigmatic chords and rhythmic illusions that resolve only in the third part of the piece. Here, the “underwater” atmosphere gives way to echoes of folk and rock songs—shared influences among the band members and present throughout the album. In this section of the song, the ostinato note generates a recurring melodic phrase which, together with the lyrics, further emphasizes the difficulty of movement and the constant attempt to break free from this condition and overcome a limitation.
Wonders (G. Franco)
Wonders is a piece born from the idea of creating a suspended sonic space, a dreamlike atmosphere. This vision takes shape through the use of reverberated sounds and echoes, made even more intense by the interplay between voice and trombone. The voice, almost an echo itself, becomes a sonic evocation that dialogues with the trombone, which precisely and incisively reprises the melody in unison. The rhythm section supports and enhances this initial idea, giving the piece a more acoustic and almost “rock” energy, also emphasized by the meter. After the sonic exploration of the trio—double bass, drums, and guitar—during the solos, the piece returns to its original atmosphere of “dream and wonder.” In the final theme, the drum solo recharges the melody, which expands and dissolves into new overlapping lines, generating echoes and references between voice and trombone, ultimately bringing the listener back to the initial melody and closing the circle of the sonic experience.
Valinys (E. Cian)
Valinys is a piece dedicated to the musical research of composer and percussionist Sylvain Darrifourcq. It explores the world of polymetronomy, attempting to create clearly separated sections in which drums and guitar interact, improvise, and clash in complex rhythmic figures that give the impression of a “broken groove.” The mechanical interlocking between guitar and drums, set against a background of bowed double bass, contrasts sharply with the melodic lines of trombone and voice—hallmarks of the group’s style—providing coherence to the piece within the album. The entire composition plays on the “mechanical” prison evoked by polymetronomy, while at the same time narrating the attempt to break free from it. The central part of the piece is characterized by a solo development of drums and guitar, which finally free themselves from the rhythmic interlocking and dialogue in space, before returning to a fixed time and an “awkward” meter in the final section. Here, the rhythm section insists on a riff over which trombone and voice improvise freely. Yet the riff remains mechanical, and like all mechanisms it can jam or break: hence the idea of the coda, where each instrument progressively “freezes” on single notes of the theme, which dissolves into a single final note.
Time Thieves (F. Bordignon)
Time Thieves can be defined as a “space ballad,” a composition written with the intention of creating a moment within the album for introspection, timbral exploration, and surrender to radical improvisation. The piece is divided into three sections: an exposition of the initial theme, a central improvisation, and a final re-exposition of the theme. The theme consists of two different lines that interact: one characterized by long notes, assigned to voice and trombone, and another more articulated line, assigned to guitar and double bass. However, these two melodic lines in their entirety appear only in the final theme. In the first exposition, the melody of voice and trombone takes center stage, performed without a fixed tempo, while the guitar moves freely between harmony and melodic line, thus not fully revealing the melodic interplay that will be presented at the end. The central section, as mentioned, is an improvisation without rules, intended to create a moment within the piece that, in each performance, explores different sonic worlds and situations, immersing both the musicians and the listener in the present moment. In the album version, the reverse technique is explored, and the improvisation is constructed through deconstruction. The idea was to begin the collective solo with the energy, density, and dynamics of what could be a concluding moment, and then gradually thin out the sonic texture until reaching a more minimal environment. At this point, the section is reversed: every sound is played backward. What the listener hears initially is the minimalist ending of the solo just described, which gradually develops into a denser sonic texture made of sounds that, while reminiscent of conventional instruments, offer unexpected timbres and ideas. This leads to the final theme, performed no longer in the previous ethereal context—where pulse is completely absent—but with a defined groove and meter. The two previously described melodic lines intertwine and fully emerge in a final section in which the drums orchestrate everything, bringing the energy of the piece to its climax.
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