SHEKBAND (Kyiv, UKRAINE) - Inflatable Ram: Album Release Concert
Di 03.05. 20:00 Uhr
#PANDAjazz #PANDAukraine
Schlosserei/Tischlerei
JAZZ: ALBUM RELEASE CONCERT
They may be a young band but they radiate authenticity. A lively and masterful album wherein the fragile scent of childhood lingers.
The Ukrainian Jazz album Inflatable Ram is due for worldwide digital release on April 29, 2022. The release is out on the imprint of HGBSBlue Records/ Taklit France.
This extraordinary album features young Ukrainian musicians and it is poignant for various reasons. There is precocious musicianship, hope, beauty and joy throughout. ShekBand made their appearance a number of years ago and it may surprise people to learn their ages. The pianist Anna is 14, The bass player Artem is 16 and the drummer Maksym is 12 years old.
The band came into being during a 2015 summer jazz festival in Bulgaria. That was when Maksym, then 5 years old, decided to join his siblings on stage. A desire to dig deeper into improvised music propelled them onwards from there.
By 2019 they were ready for wider exposure and they performed at Eastern European festivals in Ukraine, Bulgaria, Poland, Slovenia and Germany. In December of 2019, the trio took part in the 7 Virtual Jazz Club Contest and came to the notice of publisher and jury member Patricia Johnston. She noted that they had musicality, and were hard-working, passionate, innovative and confident. They were awarded an honourable mention by the judges. Patricia kept them in her sights and the resulting ShekBand album arises from that.
The album was mastered on the day before the Russian invasion and within hours, the family was dodging missiles as they headed for safety. In spite of the horrors, the children have maintained their focus. Losing their possessions and their old life has been awful, but following dreams is a pathway to a better future. They are not going to let the darkness of war define them. Jazz is about living in the eternal now.
Among the 9 tunes of the new album, you will hear original compositions, Ukrainian folk references and their own arrangement of a Wayne Shorter Standard.
Their youthful exuberance will touch your heart. So, if you believe in the light and in good music, then support ShekBand’s, Inflatable Ram.