The concept of the album is closely related to my personal experience of pandemic state of emergency while in lockdown. Isolation and the sudden changes on a global level made me explore the state of unknown, solitude without music making, interaction with one`s own fears instead of social comfort. This album reflects one of the most challenging periods we all went through alone and lonely. „Sounding Solitude“ marks the inner journey into the new reality. Artistic research consisted of several segments; investigation of psychological studies that deals with methodologies for overcoming loss and grief, in our case sudden global lockdown and pandemics, study of yogic and Buddhist meditation techniques that help in overcoming a state of anxiety, depression, fear, and isolation, serving as the antidotes, and the sonified projection of the personal reaction to these new outcomes.
In order to classify different stages and divide them as music pieces, I applied elements of the Kübler-Ross grief model which outlines five stages of coping with grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance, adding one more at the end; the inner insights. Furthermore, over the last several months I developed a particular Sadhana (daily spiritual practice) or a combination of the meditation techniques that helped me to become aware of, accept, and overcome the psychological obstacles I encountered. Each composition is related to one psychological period that we went through during the pandemic, so 6 compositions were created. It is not only a journey through the struggle, but also a path showing the new insights, offering tools and hope for the times to come.
After many months of loneliness and solo musicking, it was symbolic to interpret music of solitude with musician friends. Colleagues participating in the album were very carefully selected and put together in a creative team that, although all from different domains of music, functioned, understood and breathed perfectly on this topic. The collective expression we created is the mirror of togetherness and compassion in the long solitude.
Musicians:
Jasna Jovićević - Composition (except free improv), arrangements, saxophones, bass clarinet, spacedrum, kalimba, vocal, flute
Filip Krumes - Violin
Ivana Grahovac - Violoncello
Milan Nikolić - Double bass
Daniel More - Double bass, Gimbri
Production:
Kesler Studio, September 2020 Subotica
Recoding engeneer: Danijel Davčik
Sound effects & semples designer: Bojan Bojić
Mixing engeneer: Danijel Davčik
Mastering engineer: Bojan Bojić ( mixing track 2)