Pygmalion Effect

What three established creative musicians with deep experience in improvisation, merging contemporary jazz, experimental music, and advanced sound technologies do in a spontaneous recording session?

That’s the question this trio answers. Featuring Cuban pianist and composer Aruán Ortiz, Italian bassist Silvia Bolognesi, and trumpeter and electronics artist Gabriele Mitelli, Pygmalion Effect (in other words… a Tropical Porcupine) explores the endless possibilities of warm but intense electroacoustic collective improvisation. It stands out for its bold but lush exploration and its willingness to push sonic and cultural boundaries.

Aruán Ortiz brings more than two decades of involvement in the international avant-garde scene, weaving his classical training with a modernist sensibility. He treats the piano not only as a traditional instrument but also as a source of sound manipulation. Silvia Bolognesi, renowned for her versatility and mastery of the double bass, blends intimate, raw textures with a collective listening approach. Gabriele Mitelli, a trumpeter who bridges tradition and innovation, extends the trumpet’s possibilities through electronic effects and extended techniques.

This session was recorded at Shape Shoppe Paradiso in Monteriggioni-Siena, Italy, emphasizing spontaneous composition as the trio’s core interaction. Electronics and sonic modulations transform acoustic sounds into evolving, mutant textures, guiding the listener through timbral shifts, intricate textures, and uncharted sonic landscapes.

In a musical world where experimentation and improvisation are central to the conversation, Pygmalion Effect offers a fresh and stimulating proposition, an invitation to rethink the role of electronics and improvisation in present-day music. With each performance, the trio opens new avenues for dialogue among sound, technology, and listening.

When we entered the studio, expectations were set aside in favor of listening. Rather than directing the music, we embraced every moment, giving it room to find its own pace and to unfold through the creative process. Allowing our voices to intertwine, we were sustained only through mutual attention, sometimes fragile and light, at other times fierce and intense. Only then did we perceive the “Pygmalion Effect (in other words… a Tropical Porcupine),” not as a guiding force, but as a shared, shimmering form that appears when the “one” dissolves and a genuine “us” quietly comes into being.

Gabrielle Mitelli, Aruán Ortiz and Silvia Bolognesi. December 30, 2025