CD: Dykyi Lys

These are glimpses into the soul, little windows that - each in itself - reveal something about the mind of an extremely exciting, versatile artist. Ganna grants intimate insights, consciously shows her vulnerable side, which, however, turns out to be a great strength in the context of this colorful album. However, there are still some linguistic hurdles to overcome before that

"Dykyi Lys," the title of Ganna Gryniva's debut CD, for example, can be deciphered right away only by those who know Ukrainian. It means "wild fox." Ganna comes from a village of 375 people near the capital Kiev. Nature as far as the eye and the mind can see. When she came to Berlin in 2013, it was a shock. Or, as she puts it, "a challenge for someone like me who likes silence. Little by little, I found the quiet places in Berlin and now see the city very differently. I have adapted. So have the foxes that roam Berlin all the time. They manage to live here. Still, they are wild animals and always will be."

Wild, adaptable and able to survive, doing what she feels like doing and what she does best, sympathetically stubborn, determined and clever - that is Ganna Gryniva, who as the 84th protagonist of the Jazz thing Next Generation talent launch pad, which is now also appreciated internationally, occupies a kind of special status. For the singer, composer, pianist, bandleader, side-woman, interdisciplinary performance and free improvisation artist with a life and creative focus in the German capital does not seek her own voice exclusively with the toolbox of music. She cleverly combines different sensory worlds from jazz to Ukrainian folk to classical and experimental music and dance. And she improvises, preferably with drummer Joe Smith in the duo JOGA, or, as her teacher and mentor Michael Schiefel advised her, with Loop Station and effects. At some point, Ganna even began to exchange ideas with dancers, for example with Linda Berberich at the Berlin SURfF Festival. And she loves to compose. "Turning feelings and thoughts flying around into tangible sounds and tones is what I call magical. Improvisation is like real-time composition for me!"

One of their specialties is expanding on lyrics of old folk songs and writing new music to go with them, as in "Witer." Composing is a form of self-reflection for her, Ganna says. The artist, who is currently completing her bachelor's degree in improvised singing at the Franz Liszt Academy of Music in Weimar, likes to use other people's lyrics. For "Song For Mons," Nadiia Telenchuk, a Ukrainian poet who also lives in Berlin, wrote the verses, while "Rika" was penned by her father. For "Waiting," she used an excerpt from Lesya Ukrainka's well-known 1890 poem "Mij Shlyakh" (My Way), in which she gives shape to her dream of freedom, equality and brotherhood for Ukraine. A painfully timeless theme that also comes to life in "Lebidonka," where Ganna sings of the Cossacks, those warriors who have made it their mission to protect their homes and loved ones

Always remain authentic, never play roles: That's their top premise. "The lyrics, the music, the story and the mood have to harmonize for me. And sometimes my gut tells me that Ukrainian or English fits better." That's why Ganna chose tracks like "Daydreams," "Sometimes," "Changes" and "Waiting" for the album. It seems that she is constantly on the lookout for new facets that will round out her overall image. In February 2020, work began on "Laut!" at the Deutsche Oper; the premiere was postponed until October due to the Corona pandemic. Outside of the crisis periods, she performs regularly with various ensembles as well as her own projects, acting as a singer with the international Kenneth Dahl Knudsen Modern Lyric Orchestra, with Interlink Music & Dance, Kurt Rosenwinkel, and the quintet that goes by her name: Ganna. This includes tenor saxophonist Musina Ebobissé - himself number 79 in Jazz thing Next Generation a year ago - pianist Povel Widestrand, bassist Tom Bergmann and drummer Mathias Ruppnig

The vixen and her pack: With "Dykyi Lys" they are preparing to expand their previous territory. Because women like Ganna need space to live out their own personal freedom.