Das nächste CMYK Interview ist da!
Diesmal reden wir mit Mirna Bogdanovic, Jazzsängerin und Komponistin. Mit ihrer Band ist Mirna in der Vergangenheit durch ganz Europa getourt. Die talentierte Sängerin ist auch gleichzeitig das kompositorische Genie der Gruppe. Hier erfahrt ihr wie sie die aktuelle Lage, bedingt durch Corona einschätzt, wie sie die verschiedenen Locations in Europa eingeschätzt und vieles mehr.
Mirna sat down virtually at her computer with us last week to answer some of our burning questions about her work in the Jazz scene and the shifting taking place due to the Corona Pandemic:
Interview
Jan: The pandemic has impacted us all in different ways. How has it impacted you the most?
Mirna: I think everyone has a different experience. There have been ups and downs in this time I guess, sometimes relaxed, then productive, then not so productive at all and being stressed out about it or anxious about the future.
Jan: How are you all hanging in there?
Mirna: I guess all in all we’re fine, just miss having concerts.
Julia: Some of us are aware of your work, but are excited about this new joint musical venture with berta.berlin. Could you introduce yourself?
Mirna: After studying piano at the Academy of Music in Ljubljana I pursued studies in jazz vocals and then graduated from the Jazz Institute Berlin under Judy Niemack, Kurt Rosenwinkel and Greg Cohen.
Julia: Jazz seems to be central in your musical studies. When it comes to your sound how would you describe your current project?
Mirna: It’s original music somewhere between instrumental and vocal, jazz mixed with electronic and pop!
Mirna’s voice reflects this, too. Her sultry tone, expressive phrasing and total musicality make her the choice of many musicians ‘in the know’. Mirna and her band’s debut album is in the making that combines a subtle interlacement of classical vocal techniques and contemporary methods.
Julia: When you perform and record, you don’t do it alone. Can you tell us a bit about your band and how you found yourselves together? What inspired joining forces and making music together?
Mirna: We knew each other from studying together and from the Berlin jazz scene. So I wrote a bunch of songs and then asked the band to join.
Julia: How is making music together different from making music by yourself?
Mirna: Well more instruments I guess (smiles). And more fun.
Julia: What are you hoping to instill in your listeners with your music?
Mirna: Something fresh, that they’ve never heard before.
Jan: As someone who studied in Ljubljana, Klagenfurt and Berlin, do you see any significant differences between the jazzscene in Slovenia, Austria and Germany?
Mirna: Yes of course there’s a huge difference. It all depends on the size/population of a country and how well the music scene is funded, how big the audience is, how many jazz clubs there are (meaning opportunities for musicians to play and earn money doing so).
Jan: How do these scenes express themselves differently?
Mirna: Germany is so much bigger than Austria or Slovenia, so the jazz scene big in comparison to those countries, meaning there’s more diversity in styles, so each individual has the chance to find what they like the most and then move in those circles. Also the level is higher, cause there’s more people, meaning more competition, musicians striving to get better. But this is such a broad topic, so I’ll just leave it at that (smiles).
Jan: As someone who played in the German National Jazz Orchestra, is it difficult to adapt to a smaller band setting?
Mirna: It’s more not being used to the big band setting, since I mostly play with smaller bands. I was in that orchestra only for two years and it’s not a full time thing.
Julia: We heard in your last performance at the Jazz Festival in Ljubljana a cover/reharm song called “Rain” that was based on a jazz riff that was then sampled into a hiphop song. Can you walk us through your creative process for making a cover like that?
Mirna: Rain is a song the band SWV recorded in 1997, they sampled the Jaco Pastorius line from Portrait of Tracy. Then Povel (our pianist) and I analyzed the song and changed a bunch of stuff, like the harmony and metrum of the song in certain parts. This will be released on my debut album!
Jan: Do you think that live-streaming concerts will become “the Norm”/”normal”?
Mirna: I hope not.
Jan: Without getting too political: Do you think musicians are getting enough public/state support? Or perhaps you see more/better support coming from Labels, GEMA or other private sources?
Mirna: I think we’re quite fortunate to live in Germany or specifically in Berlin, we got good support from the State, and certain associations. So I have nothing to complain about.
Jan: The pandemic will likely have a lasting effect on the music industry. How are you all coming to terms with this? How has it shaped how the band practices, etc.?
Mirna: Well we aren’t rehearsing if we don’t have concerts, the system of meeting up every day to rehearse doesn’t exist in jazz. We’re all part of different projects and then meet up when we have to prepare the program for a concert or a recording session. I guess we’re all just accepting the situation and trying to make the most of it.
Jan: So is this your first live-stream concert, or have you done this before?
Mirna: It’s been my 4th so far!
Julia: What can our readers look forward to during your live-stream?
Mirna: To some good music hopefully. And amazing sound & video thanks to berta.berlin!
Live Stream
You can catch the fresh and innovative Mirna Bogdanovic Group live stream right here thanks to berta.berlin:
Did you miss the Live Stream?
No worries we have you covered! Watch the recording of the live stream right here:
Performers:
Mirna Bogdanovic – vocals, ukulele, effects
Povel Widestrand – piano / synths
Peter Meyer – guitar
Felix Henkelhausen – double bass
Philip Dornbusch – drums
Date: 17.06.2020
Location: Club Gretchen
Promoter: berta.berlin
Video: Beat Halberschmidt
Light: Felix Berthold
Mix & Mastering: Beat Halberschmidt
Recording: Goh Nakada
