Gryniva, composer and arranger of the music, grew up in Ukraine and came to Germany as a thirteen year old with her parents in 2002. This new album powerfully combines a reinterpretation of Ukrainian folk music with modern jazz. Her wonderful, evocative voice takes us on a highly relevant personal and political journey. "I was travelling a lot in Ukraine collecting old songs and visiting folklore archives," she explains. "I travelled through beautiful parts of the Carpathian Mountains, visiting old churches and little festivals and meeting wonderful people." In Fasova near Kyiv she met the Barvinok Choir, women in their 70s and 80s. There she recorded the song for the track Halochka. "It's a girl's name, a cute version of Halyna. It touched my heart. It's about a girl, living with her mother without a father, who is hard working and there's a lot of love and sadness in the music. Female power is a fundamental part of Ukrainian culture. I grew up surrounded by strong women. My own mother is a classical pianist." The line up: Ganna Gryniva (voice and composition), Musina Ebobissé (saxophone), Povel Widestrand (piano), Tom Berkmann (bass) and Mathias Ruppnig (drums).