Anna Solovei Trio

Anna Solovei is a bandura player who merges the sound of the traditional Ukrainian instrument with an unconventional style for it — jazz fusion. Her music is built on complex harmonies, broken rhythms, shifting time signatures, and improvisation. Her main goal is to раскрыть the full sonic potential of the folk instrument, demonstrating the connection between the Ukrainian soul and an entirely different musical language, while shaping the idea of “Ukrainian jazz.” Her music is a story of life itself — with all its struggles and victories — told through dialogues with thoughts, explorations of personal feelings, and reflections on how people influence music, and how music, in turn, influences people. Helping to uncover and reveal the hidden depths of the bandura in her original compositions are two leading instruments of the genre: drums and bass. On drums is Oleksandr Yavdyk, a musician with a unique sense of percussion that brings not only unpredictable rhythms but also rich timbral depth to the music. Oleksandr is a drummer and artist with his own solo project, blending live drum improvisations with electronic soundscapes. He approaches percussion not only as a rhythmic instrument but as a space for dynamics and timbral exploration, allowing for a deeper expression of each artistic idea. Alongside his solo work, he collaborates with many artists, including Tonka, Maria Lui, Andrii Barmalii, Yevhen Puhachov, Kinnota, and Vykroutas. On bass is Anton Holinko, a session musician, resident of the Fusion community, and jazz artist whose playing enriches music across different genres. He has performed with Lama and Deys Rude Quarter. Bass improvisations are rare, but this time there will be plenty of them — the timbre and melodic quality of the instrument offer a unique kind of pleasure. His playing is inspired by Lars Danielsson and Omer Avital. The first concert of Anna Solovei Trio took place as part of the Fusion Jams event in Gdańsk. Later, the trio performed in Lviv on the stage of Jam Factory Art Center, gave a solo show at Dzyga Art Center, and also performed at an event by Mirage Camp in Kyiv.