German violinist, singer and composer Johanna Burnheart returns with details of her much-anticipated sophomore album “Bär” – out 1st December. The album announcement is accompanied by a borderless new single titled “Cylla Burna”.
The record follows Johanna’s critically acclaimed debut album which came out in 2020 via Ropeadope Records and led to her inclusion of The Guardian’s 30 best new artists for 2021, as well as earning plaudits across the likes of MOJO, Record Collector, Jazzwise, Jazziz, Shindig!, BBC Radio 6 Music, and Worldwide FM, for its genre-melding combination of modern jazz, leftfield electronic, and contemporary classical sounds all filtered through her avant-garde violin playing style.
As well as becoming a fast-rising member of the UK jazz firmament in her own right, Johanna is a regular member of Rosie Turton’s band and frequently collaborates with the likes of Jockstrap, Maisha, Yazz Ahmed, Jazz Jamaica, The London Garage Orchestra, the BBC Concert Orchestra, Tomorrow’s Warriors and more. This has seen her play across London as well as festivals such as Glastonbury Festival, Boomtown Fair, Love Supreme, Jazz Re:Fest and Brainchild, both alongside her peers in these groups but also as a solo artist.
Now she is returning with an album that sees her expand on her unique sonic template – the violin remains a reasonably rare instrument in the modern jazz world, so Johanna finds herself within a niche of a niche. Her playing doesn’t reflect the traditional approach to playing violin but draws on her experiences across both the classical world and the UK jazz scene. However, having spent a good deal of time living in Berlin, her love for the Berlin clubs and the music they represent was manifested and she was absorbed by the sound of experimental electronic music, forming the foundation of her current musical style and leading to it permeating her compositions.
Dark electronic yet melodic sounds on the violin, complex metres shaping undulating grooves, as well as spine-tingling raw vocals form the sonic palette of Johanna’s compositions. This is perfectly exemplified in the new album’s lead single “Cylla Burna”, which sees Johanna combining rhythmic synths and subtly complex, dance-inflected beats with double bass and euphonic violin lines, before the track moves into a jazz drum breakout with mellifluous vocals and frenetic vibraphone playing.
Speaking on the track, Johanna says, “This tune was initially written in my former home in Kilburn and then developed further in Scotland. When researching my street name to find a title for the song, the Old English name for Kilburn turned out to be Cylla Burna, translating into Cylla’s (or cattle) stream. It was also noted that the area was a notorious duelling spot in the late 18th century until duelling was outlawed. To this day, some of London’s highest knife crime rates are recorded in this area which I found a fascinating link. I believe in history creating an energy – and situations forming because of an energy of a place in the first place in return. My composition has undulating polyrhythms combined with trembling lyrics and a looping backing line which to me has become a fitting representation of this buzzing area that seems to host so many clashes.”.
“Bär” is out 1st December 2023 – pre-order HERE