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Threegonos - Modern Jazz Unity

Threegonos – Modern Jazz Unity was founded around 20 years ago by bassist Toni Armetta, initially as a trio, and has evolved over the years into its current sextet formation.

Toni Armetta began studying music at the age of 12 and took up the double bass at 14, graduating in 1983 from the G. Rossini Conservatory in Pesaro. From an early age, Armetta was inspired by diverse musical forms and genres, which led him over the years to deepen his studies in electric bass, harmony, composition, arrangement, jazz, improvisation, and more. Along the way, he participated in a vast array of professional experiences, ranging from chamber and symphonic orchestras to jazz, Latin jazz, big bands, fusion, pop, and recording studio sessions.

His strong attraction to composition and original music led him to prefer and participate in numerous projects where the primary focus was performing original works, without strict genre definitions—drawing rhythmic and harmonic elements from a variety of musical worlds, while always leaving space for improvisation rooted in the jazz tradition and unified by a deep melodic and thematic sense.

Artists such as Miles Davis, Charles Mingus, Joe Zawinul, Chick Corea, Pat Metheny, Wayne Shorter, Russell Ferrante, Lyle Mays, and many others have profoundly reshaped the concepts of music writing and arrangement over the past 50 years. This ongoing evolution of musical cross-pollination continues to give rise to ever more creative, intense, profound, and diverse sound worlds.

In the music of Threegonos, all of this is clearly present. The tracks alternate between instrumental sections (some highly virtuosic), vocal parts, moments of intensity and airiness, and more rhythmically charged, sometimes aggressive passages—always shaped by a strong focus on expansive melodies supported by harmonies rich in unexpected openings. Jazz sensibility merges with lyrical melodic expression, while the group’s sonic identity—often tinged with a subtle rock influence—can also evolve into ethnic and tribal atmospheres.

There are no limits to Threegonos' compositional thinking. Their music is born of intense inspiration, a search for deep emotion, and a desire for joy and playfulness—because, ultimately, music has no boundaries.

Threegonos – Modern Jazz Unity Release 'Questioni Di Pensiero'

Source: Alexandra Loria
August 11, 2025

Questioni di Pensiero (Matters Of Thought): A Genre-Bending Journey Through Contemporary Jazz Italian jazz collective Threegonos—Modern Jazz Unity, led by visionary bassist Toni Armetta, unveils their highly anticipated second studio album, Questioni di Pensiero (Matters Of Thought), a sonically adventurous project rooted in modern jazz and expanded by global influences. This groundbreaking album, physically launched on May 31st and presented live at Rome's prestigious Alexander Platz, is a testament to two decades of artistic evolution and boundary-pushing musical exploration. The ...
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Here is his personalized reflection on Threegonos' album “Questioni di Pensiero” by Argentine Musicologist Mariano Busnelli.

“When a music lover approaches the shelf of a record store, unless they already know the career of a certain group or artist, the immediate question that arises is… what genre of music does this record contain? It is a difficult task to try and explain what this work, which you hold in your hands, is about.

The easiest thing to say is that this is the second album by the Threegonos, whose previous album, Return to 80th Street, demonstrated the immense creative and interpretative richness of this group of Italian musicians.

But we still haven’t answered the initial question. One can say that this Album is the work of a group of musical alchemists who, by blending different styles and genres, give life to masterful compositions.

Allow me a digression: it is said that in alchemy there is a short path and a long one, and if poetic license is worth it, in this case, it’s clearly the long path, because Threegonos, founded by bassist Toni Armetta, is the result of the intense work of a group of musicians, performers, composers, and teachers with solid training and great dedication to music.

But let's return to the initial question. What does this CD contain?
A journey, yes, a whirlwind musical journey through different styles and genres where tango merges with folk rhythms, funk with the spirit of candombe, and so on.

Here is his personalized reflection on Threegonos' album “Questioni di Pensiero” by Argentine Musicologist Mariano Busnelli.

“When a music lover approaches the shelf of a record store, unless they already know the career of a certain group or artist, the immediate question that arises is… what genre of music does this record contain? It is a difficult task to try and explain what this work, which you hold in your hands, is about.

The easiest thing to say is that this is the second album by the Threegonos, whose previous album, Return to 80th Street, demonstrated the immense creative and interpretative richness of this group of Italian musicians.

But we still haven’t answered the initial question. One can say that this Album is the work of a group of musical alchemists who, by blending different styles and genres, give life to masterful compositions.

Allow me a digression: it is said that in alchemy there is a short path and a long one, and if poetic license is worth it, in this case, it’s clearly the long path, because Threegonos, founded by bassist Toni Armetta, is the result of the intense work of a group of musicians, performers, composers, and teachers with solid training and great dedication to music.

But let's return to the initial question. What does this CD contain?
A journey, yes, a whirlwind musical journey through different styles and genres where tango merges with folk rhythms, funk with the spirit of candombe, and so on.

It is all unified within compositions that can be included in what has been known for over 70 years as modern jazz. And it is precisely from jazz, that these musicians draw the elements that guarantee them a freedom of expression that is unusual in other genres.

Fluid, melodic, never-banal melodies, even for the less accustomed listener, an elegant compositional structure, and sober virtuosity delight the most demanding listeners.

All the instruments sing for themselves in the different tracks. Now the guitar takes on the main role, other times the saxophone sings over the precise foundation of the ever-present drums. In other cases, the keyboards and even the bass develop extended melodies that stand out clearly, even within the ensemble of the other instruments and in the evocative vocal interweavings.

In short, the music of the Threegonos is without borders, and despite the fact that the pieces are built on the complex foundations of modern jazz, each composition is imbued with airs or styles from other musical genres that, as we have said, take us on a journey through a vast and colorful sonic world, in a precise fusion with flamenco, candombe, tango, or with African and Middle Eastern influences. It is a work that no lover of good music can be without.”
(Mariano Busnelli)

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