tellKujira: Italian avant-garde quartet blends contemporary music and free jazz
Established in 2020, the Italian avant-garde group tellKujira features Ambra Chiara Michelangeli (viola/effects), Stefano Calderano (guitar/effects), Francesco Diodati (guitar/effects), and Francesco Guerri (cello). Their name draws inspiration from the "wind phone" in Fukushima, a place where people communicate with those who have passed away. Their musical style fuses contemporary sounds with free jazz, marked by avant-garde deconstruction. They have engaged in residencies at IRCAM and Area Sismica and showcased their work at events such as Umbria Jazz and Moers Festival. In November 2023, they released their debut album through Superpang Records, which garnered positive reviews. Currently, they are working on an acoustic rendition of tellKujira alongside Marco Fiorini at IRCAM.
Key facts
- tellKujira formed in 2020 as an Italian avant-garde quartet
- Members: Ambra Chiara Michelangeli, Stefano Calderano, Francesco Diodati, Francesco Guerri
- Name inspired by the 'wind phone' near Kujira Yama, Fukushima
- Sound blends contemporary music, free jazz, neoclassical, post-rock, ambient
- Residencies at Area Sismica (Forlì) and IRCAM (Paris) with Creative Europe support
- Performed at Moers Festival, Umbria Jazz, Torino Jazz Festival, s(Nodi) in Bologna
- Debut album released November 2023 on Superpang Records
- Album co-produced by Area Sismica and Emilia-Romagna Music Commission
- Current collaboration with Marco Fiorini at IRCAM for next album
- Working on an all-acoustic version of tellKujira
Entities
Artists
- Ambra Chiara Michelangeli
- Stefano Calderano
- Francesco Diodati
- Francesco Guerri
- Teho Teardo
- Chiara Guidi
- Marco Fiorini
- Mark Rothko
- Samantha Stella
Institutions
- Area Sismica
- IRCAM
- Creative Europe
- Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Colonia
- Moers Festival
- Umbria Jazz
- Torino Jazz Festival
- Museo Internazionale e Biblioteca della Musica di Bologna
- Superpang Records
- Emilia-Romagna Music Commission
- Fondation Louis Vuitton
- Artribune
Locations
- Italy
- Forlì
- Paris
- France
- Fukushima
- Japan
- Kujira Yama
- Moers
- Germany
- Cologne
- Bologna
- Genoa
- Milan