Based in Basel with Japanese-Polish roots, acclaimed Swiss singer, composer and producer Yumi Ito grew up immersed in three different cultures. Her latest offering, Ysla, takes its name from the Old Portuguese for "island" and invites the listener on a journey across both a metaphorical ocean and a stylistic vista which takes in jazz, art-pop and neo-classical music.

Mixing an intricate jazz technique with hints of great singer-songwriters including Bjork and Joni Mitchell, ‘Ysla’ deals with the themes of loneliness & separation, disaster and rebirth, taking inspiration from nature, psychology, and sociology, as well as current contemporary history.

The multidimensional perspective on identity, community and travelling across borders that her upbringing afforded plays a large role in her work. “I began to envision a conception of identity that is more open and inclusive than any nationality or other label. I set out to fashion my own, inner world – to find a way to exist and communicate with others in such a way that transcended the particulars of any one of these cultures.

The seven original compositions are closely connected to Yumi Ito's personhood and tell of her path of reflection and self-discovery. In this process, Ito has also developed her vocal improvisation into a "universal" language that can be understood anywhere.  

“In recent years, I’ve worked on new music in Iceland, Galicia (Cies) and Greece (Milos), which - like my father's country of origin, Japan - are all islands. Travelling there has generated distance and time to get to know myself better.”

Seamlessly bridging the gap between student at Switzerland’s prestigious Jazz Campus where she was part of the Focus Year Band, and vocal professor at one of the country’s leading music schools, Yumi has already worked with a host of modern greats (Mark Turner, Al Jarreau, Becca Stevens) and in constellations from solo through to full orchestra.

For this trip, she retains long-time colleagues (and key features of the Yumi Ito Orchestra) in Kuba Dworak (double bass) and Iago Fernández (drums), alongside Chris Hyson (synths) and Szymon Mika (guitar). Here, for the first time, she recorded all the piano parts herself, with the complex keyboard patterns that ring out under layers of vocals, conjuring an other-worldly feel.

Effortlessly, the group manoeuvres through a veritable genre ocean of ambient sounds, mystical grooves, and soulful songs. The sound of the core trio is extended into an immersive world of delicately plucked guitars, rich synth timbres, cello layers and modern production with a pop sensibility.

With increasingly mature musicianship, and a deep sense of storytelling in the spotlight, Ito’s music is honest and full of heart; it possesses the capacity to connect with anyone who will listen. “I hope my music allows people to look at the familiar from a distance: to grant them access to a space where they might be open to reflection and reinvention.”

Yumi Ito | Vocals, Piano, Composition, Lyrics Kuba Dworak| Double Bass

Iago Fernández| Drums                                                                     

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