East Clare based singer/songwriter and ethnomusicologist Jyoshna La Trobe will launch her new double album at glór in Ennis this Saturday.
Though born in England Jyoshna spent her childhood in New Zealand and has been living in Co. Clare for the past seven years.
Jyoshna’s 30 plus music albums range from intimate love songs to the divine as Unity Hours I (2007) to pulsating dance music on Magnificence (2000) to love ballads on Unity Hours IV (2022) and ecstatic kiirtan ‘praise music’ such as Red Earth Fusion (2004). She has also written on commission TV documentaries (NRK TV), festivals and other events.
As an ethnomusicologist Jyoshna’s passion is to build bridges between people of diverse cultural backgrounds to bring greater understanding and appreciation between them. She gained her PhD in Music from SOAS in 2010 based on her research on the supra aesthetic science of kiiritan or ‘mantra music and dance’ of Rarh, India, the homeland of the kiirtan tradition. Her own catalogue of Rarhi Music Culture is housed in the British Library World Music Archives (C1211).
In these fifth and sixth albums in the sequence of ‘Unity Hours’ Jyoshna continues to explore an intimate connection with the divine and compassion for all beings, bringing a sense of ‘unity’ through her songs related to nature, ecstatic love, friendship, motherhood, empowerment and celebration. Her fusion of soft jazz, popular music and folk with mantra music or kiirtan makes her style unique.
In the past two years she has hooked up with the jazz musicians (in alphabetical order) Alice Abreu (Violin), Yam Aquino (Drums), Lucy Thomas (Clarinet and Bass Clarinet). Also playing on this album are her long time collaborators Kavita Neumannova (Khol Drum), Adam Rowat (Bass), Manasvinii (Backing Vocals). Special guests including Etain McCooey on oboe will also feature at the launch.
Unity Hours IV, V and VI was recorded at Malbay Studios, in Milton Malbay with Martin O’Malley and mixed by Martin O’Malley and Michael Lloyd (from New Zealand). Brian Masterton from Windmill Studios mastered the album.