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Reinhören und genießen - die Hörprobe mit Einblicken ins Make-of von prendila così.

Ich freue mich sehr - unser Album prendila così ist nominiert für den PREIS DER DEUTSCHEN SCHALLPLATTENKRITIK.

Ulla Haesen, with her light, mesmerizing vocal and guitar stylings, paints an acoustic rainbow of the many places she has called home. Prendila così, her fifth album of lilting, exquisitely accessible music, offers an elegant, rhythmic nod of gratitude to Finland, Italy, and Brazil, the places that capture Ulla’s heart, soul, and musical imagination.

Prendila così—a lyrical map of Ulla’s life— traces her unique musical arc from the northern climate of Finland to the heart and soul of Italy, to the samba, swing, and sway of the Brazilian rhythms captured on her previous recordings. Ulla braids color and sound with sincerity and rhythm, resulting in a multi-cultural musical collage that reminds us that the way back home can often be found through music.

“Prendila così,” the title track, translates as “take it easy”—an appropriate sentiment for a recording that balances accuracy with glorious spontaneity. Brazilian guitarist Lula Galvão, featured as an arranger and musician on much of the album, plays his guitar with joy, virtuosity, and a relaxed precision that lifts the music at every turn.

Ulla called Umbria, Italy her home for almost ten years. During that time she fell in love with the music of Pino Daniele, Lucio Battisti, and Lucio Dalla, whose compositions are included on the recording. “I love the Italian language,” says Ulla. “And to record these tracks— ‘Prendila così’ (Battisti); ‘Bambina’ (Daniele); ‘Anna verrá’ (Daniele); ‘Amarsi un pó’ (Battisti); ‘E la chiamano estate’ (Bruno Martino), ‘Napule è’ (Daniele); and ‘Caruso’ (Dalla)—has been a deeply emotional experience, returning me to golden, sun-drenched days in Perugia, Rome, and the Italian Mezzogiorno.”

Ulla’s passion for Brazil shines through every facet of her music. By adding Brazilian rhythms to the vibrancy of her Italian melodies, she renders a bold palette of tones, imbued by the international ensemble of skilled artists featured throughout the album. Lula Galvão imprints the arrangements with his Rio de Janeiro pulse, while the sparkling performances of Gabriel Pérez (saxophone, flutes); Franco Petrocca (bass); Kiko Freitas (drums ); Andrea Marcelli (drums); Lorenzo Petrocca (guitar); Ivo Guedes (guitar); and Jürgen Schuld (percussion) offer both bright and pastel flashes of joy throughout the album, saturating the Italian/Brazilian canvas with a unique, multi-cultural wash of color—a kaleidoscope of sound—effortless, purposeful, a personal statement of wonder.

Recorded, mixed, and mastered at Hansa Haus Studios in Bonn, Germany by five-time Grammy winner Klaus Genuit, Prendila così captures the shimmeringquality of Ulla’s delicate voice and marries it to the power of her ensemble.

By retracing her steps to places that feel like home, Ulla has chosen to follow a unique path—creating an acoustic collage, a fusion of beautiful music from distant lands—that stretches across the Atlantic and back again. Prendila così offers us an impressionistic picture of home, where waves sing and splash, where music is love, and love is music. Beautiful and brilliant.

****

Robin Meloy Goldsby

Author of Piano Girl; Rhythm; and Manhattan Road Trip

Ulla Haesen malt mit ihrem leichten, betörenden Gesangs- und Gitarrenstil einen akustischen Regenbogen der vielen Orte, die sie ihr Zuhause genannt hat. Mit 'prendila così', ihrem fünften Album mit beschwingter, ausgesucht zugänglicher Musik, drückt Ulla mit Eleganz und Rhythmus jenen Orten ihre Dankbarkeit aus, die ihr Herz, ihre Seele und ihre musikalische Phantasie ergreifen: Finnland, Italien und Brasilien.

'Prendila così' - eine lyrische Landkarte von Ullas Leben - zeichnet ihre einzigartigen musikalischen Bogen vom nördlichen Klima Finnlands über das Herz und die Seele Italiens bis hin zum Samba, Swing und den schwungvollen brasilianischen Rhythmen, die sie schon auf ihren früheren Aufnahmen eingefangen hat. Ulla verflicht Farbe und Klang mit Aufrichtigkeit und Rhythmus, sie erschafft eine multikulturelle Musikcollage, die uns zeigt, dass der Weg zurück nach Hause oft über die Musik gefunden werden kann.

'Prendila così', der Titeltrack, heißt übersetzt "nimm's wie es kommt" – die richtige Einstellung für eine Aufnahme, die Genauigkeit mit herrlicher Spontaneität in Einklang bringt. Der brasilianische Gitarrist Lula Galvão, der auf einem Großteil des Albums als Arrangeur und Musiker zu hören ist, spielt seine Gitarre mit Freude, Virtuosität und einer entspannten Präzision, mit der er die Musik Takt für Takt veredelt.

In Umbrien in Italien war Ulla fast zehn Jahre lang zu Hause. In dieser Zeit verliebte sie sich in die Musik von Pino Daniele, Lucio Battisti und Lucio Dalla, deren Kompositionen auf dem Album zu hören sind. "Ich liebe die italienische Sprache", sagt Ulla. "Und die Aufnahme dieser Stücke - 'Prendila così' (Battisti), 'Bambina' (Daniele), 'Anna verrá' (Daniele), 'Amarsi un pó' (Battisti), 'E la chiamano estate' (Bruno Martino), 'Napule è' (Daniele) und 'Caruso' (Dalla) - war eine tief emotionale Erfahrung, die mich in goldene, sonnengetränkte Tage in Perugia, Rom und im italienischen Mezzogiorno zurückversetzt hat.“

Ullas Leidenschaft für Brasilien leuchtet in jeder Facette ihrer Musik. Indem sie der Lebendigkeit ihrer italienischen Melodien brasilianische Rhythmen hinzufügt, mischt sie eine breite Palette von Tönen, durchdrungen von dem internationalen Ensemble erfahrener Künstler, die auf dem gesamten Album zu hören sind. Lula Galvão prägt die Arrangements mit seinem Rio de Janeiro-Puls, während die funkelnden Darbietungen von Gabriel Pérez (Saxophon, Flöten); Franco Petrocca (Bass); Kiko Freitas (Schlagzeug); Andrea Marcelli (Schlagzeug); Lorenzo Petrocca (Gitarre); Ivo Guedes (Gitarre) die Arrangements prägen; und Jürgen Schuld (Percussions) bieten während des gesamten Albums sowohl helle als auch pastellfarbene Lichtblitze, die die italienisch-brasilianische Leinwand mit einer einzigartigen, multikulturellen Färbung durchtränken - ein Kaleidoskop aus Klang - mühelos, zielstrebig, ein ganz persönliches Statement des Staunens.

Aufgenommen, gemischt und gemastert in den Hansa Haus Studios in Bonn, Deutschland, von dem mit fünf Grammys ausgezeichneten Klaus Genuit, fängt 'prendila così' die schimmernde Qualität von Ullas zarter Stimme ein und verbindet sie mit der Kraft ihres Ensembles.

Indem sie ihre Schritte zu den Orten zurückverfolgt, die sich wie zu Hause anfühlen, hat sich Ulla für einen einzigartigen Weg entschieden - eine akustische Collage zu schaffen, eine Fusion schöner Musik aus fernen Ländern, die sich über den Atlantik und wieder zurück erstreckt. 'Prendila così' malt uns ein impressionistisches Bild der Heimat, wo die Wellen singen und plätschern, wo Musik Liebe ist und Liebe Musik ist. Wunderschön und brillant.

****

Robin Meloy Goldsby

Author of Piano Girl; Rhythm; and Manhattan Road Trip

I carved a flute from a willow tree—hey—my flute sounds so beautiful and brilliant, carved from a willow tree.

“Soittajapaimen,”a Finnish folk song.

Ulla Haesen, with her light, mesmerizing vocal and guitar stylings, paints an acoustic rainbow of the many places she has called home. Prendila così, her fifth album of lilting, exquisitely accessible music, offers an elegant, rhythmic nod of gratitude to Finland, Italy, and Brazil, the places that capture Ulla’s heart, soul, and musical imagination.

“Every song has its own color and magic,” says Ulla. “The music reminds me of home.”

Prendila così—a lyrical map of Ulla’s life— traces her unique musical arc from the northern climate of Finland to the heart and soul of Italy, to the samba, swing, and sway of the Brazilian rhythms captured on her previous recordings: Love, Tears & Joy; Beleza; Abre Alas; and Rio—Só vim matar a saudade. Ulla braids color and sound with sincerity and rhythm, resulting in a multi-cultural collage that reminds us that the way back home can often be found through music.

When the night comes, I play in the forest—hey—my flute sounds beautiful and brilliant when the night comes.

“Soittajapaimen,” an acoustic multi-vocal recording of a Finnish lullaby, vibrates with the candor of a mother’s love. “My mother, Orvokki Bäckmand, comes from Finland and she sang this tune for me when I was a baby. Her name, Orvokki, is Finnish for viola, a flower in the violet family.”

“Prendila così,” the title track, translates as “take it easy”—an appropriate sentiment for a recording that balances accuracy with glorious spontaneity. Brazilian guitarist Lula Galvão, featured as an arranger and musician on much of the album, plays his guitar with joy, virtuosity, and a relaxed precision that lifts the music at every turn.

Ulla called Umbria, Italy her home for almost ten years. During that time she fell in love with the music of Pino Daniele, Lucio Battisti, and Lucio Dalla, whose compositions are included on the recording.

“I love the Italian language,” says Ulla. “And to record these tracks— ‘Prendila così’ (Battisti); ‘Bambina’ (Daniele); ‘Anna verrá’ (Daniele); ‘Amarsi un pó’ (Battisti); ‘E la chiamano estate’ (Bruno Martino), ‘Napule è’ (Daniele); and ‘Caruso’ (Dalla)—has been a deeply emotional experience, returning me to golden, sun-drenched days in Perugia, Rome, and the Italian Mezzogiorno.”

Ulla’s passion for Brazil shines through every facet of her music. By adding Brazilian rhythms to the vibrancy of her Italian melodies, she renders a bold palette of tones, imbued by the international ensemble of skilled artists featured throughout the album. Lula Galvão imprints the arrangements with his Rio de Janeiro pulse, while the sparkling performances of Gabriel Pérez (saxophone, flutes); Franco Petrocca (bass); Kiko Freitas (drums ); Andrea Marcelli (drums); Lorenzo Petrocca (guitar); Ivo Guedes (guitar); and Jürgen Schuld (percussion) offer both bright and pastel flashes of joy throughout the album, saturating the Italian/Brazilian canvas with a unique, multi-cultural wash of color—a kaleidoscope of sound—effortless, purposeful, a personal statement of wonder.

Several of the musicians appearing on Prendila cosi come from the regions of Italy celebrated throughout the album. Pino Daniele is from Napoli, Lorenzo and Franco Petrocca come from Calabria, and Andrea Marcelli is from Rome.

Recorded, mixed, and mastered at Hansa Haus Studios in Bonn, Germany by five-time Grammy winner Klaus Genuit, Prendila così marries the clear, shimmeringquality of Ulla’s delicate voice with the power of her ensemble.

The final verse of the Finnish song, “Soittajapaimen” says this: The waves on the lake sing and splash, hey, so beautiful and brilliant, the waves on the lake sing and splash.

By retracing her steps to places that feel like home, Ulla has chosen to follow a unique path—creating an acoustic collage, a fusion of beautiful music from distant lands—that stretches across the Atlantic and back again. Prendila così offers us an impressionistic picture of home, where waves sing and splash, where music is love, and love is music. Beautiful and brilliant.

****

Robin Meloy Goldsby

Author of Piano Girl; Rhythm; and Manhattan Road Trip