LELÉKA

Sonce u Serci | GLM (September 10th 2021)

Release: 10th Sept 2021 (GLM Records)

Back in 2018 when Leléka won the International Burghausen Young Jazz Prize, renowned German journalist Ralf Dombrowski wrote that “if this band doesn’t manage to break through, an awful lot of things will need to have gone wrong…”

With Sonce u Serci (“Sun in your heart”), the Berlin-based folk-jazz outfit present their debut full-length album, showcasing the highly distinctive style they’ve been mesmerising audiences with in the subsequent years.

Leléka, translating to ‘stork’ in English and coincidentally being the Ukrainian folk symbol of love, good fortune and family happiness, consists of an international lineup of four musicians that found each other in Berlin.

Rooted in jazz, their music reaches beyond the borders of both the genre and the world, embracing singer Viktoria Leléka’s Ukrainian roots and the band’s talent for improvisational freedom.

A happy marriage of chamber jazz and Ukrainian folklore, Sonce u Serci connects traditions with emotions and current topics ranging from a heartfelt connection to nature and humanity to feelings such as love and fear.

At its core, however, this debut is about confidence – musically, atmospherically, personally – conveyed through the power of melody and the personalities who dedicate themselves to them.