oh por favor
la medianoche es venida
y es el frío
la noche
el que yo espero no viene
- Alejandra Pizarnik
IN ANOTHER NIGHT, IN ANOTHER WORLD
oh please
midnight is coming
and it is the cold
the night
the one I am waiting for does not come
- Alejandra Pizarnik
Before the pandemic hit and travel bans were put in place, Akiva Jacobs and Maya Keren had the opportunity to travel to Buenos Aires in December of 2019 to visit their dear friend Camila Nebbia. Maya and Camila, who met in Banff the summer prior, had collaborated in the past; this trip introduced a new group friendship.
The two weeks this trio spent together in Buenos Aires were something like a dream - another night, another world. Camila introduced Maya and Akiva to the tight community of improvisers in BA, bringing them to shows every night ranging from a creative improv festival organized and curated by Nebbia to a Blanco Teta punk rock rager, led by cellist Violeta Garcia. Each day was a blur of Spanglish, empanadas in someone else’s apartment, shared moments of easy laughter and the wonder of being in a new place (for Maya and Akiva) and at home (for Camila) all together.
All these moments permeate the recording. It is chaotic at times, with drastic shifts in timbre and feel, yet it is held together by a deep shared compassion and trust. Compositions like Alas Rotas (think Braxton-esque lines and a twisted chorale) and Trastornated (jarring melodies with unnerving basslines) let the trio trip and dance. Bookending the album are The Night, (dark harmonies and spoken poetry) and Kol, (breath and patience), which give room for Maya, Akiva, and Camila to hold each other with their voices. It is rare that friends who live far away get to spend time with one another. We are so grateful for that love, for this music.
The Night written by Maya Keren
Trastornated and Kol written by Akiva Jacobs
Alas Rotas written by Camila Nebbia
Recorded by Florencio Justo at Doctor F Studios, Buenos Aires, Argentina December 2019
Mixed and mastered by Pablo Lopez Ruiz
Album cover by Maya Keren