Lisa Wulff – “Poison Ivy”: atmospheric kaleidoscope with musical friends
Winning the German Jazz Prize and the birth of her daughter – since the release of her last album (“Sense and Sensibility”, 2021), Lisa Wulff can look back on two intense, highly gratifying events. A third, drastic experience was less pleasant: the corona pandemic, which temporarily brought cultural life to a standstill. The bassist has processed both worlds of emotions in the pieces on her new album “Poison Ivy”. “Interacting with other musicians and the special things that come from these shared moments – that’s what I missed most back then. That's why I invited numerous guests to whom I feel a personal and musical connection - because for me the two are inseparable," says Wulff about the starting point for the new album.
So it was time to pack the bags and drive to Munich, where the bassist was inviting friends to the recording session. Not only drummer Silvan Strauß, saxophonist Adrian Hanack and pianist Frank Chastenier followed her call, with whom Wullf formed her proven trio and quartet. Guitarist Philipp Schiepek, trumpeter Jakob Bänsch, singer Alma Naidu, saxophonist Gabriel Coburger, drummer Valentin Renner and multi-instrumentalist Friedrich Paravicini were also there to give the pieces new, fresh timbres. “With Lisa you quickly feel like you’re part of a big family. I also like her artistic approach. She chooses people whose sound she likes and gives them the greatest possible freedom. “So in the end it can only be good,” says Paravicini, looking back on the recordings.
In addition to the cello, he had loaded two rare keyboard instruments onto his bus: the Celestina (musically the smaller sister of the Celesta), which has a sound reminiscent of a glockenspiel, and the Ondes Martenot - a keyboard instrument similar to the Theremin, on which there is a floating, ghost-like sound can produce sound. Can be heard, among other things, in “Room 1337”, which immerses the audience in a sound world full of mysteries and images. “The Bad” also comes across as mysterious and spherical – thanks to the reverb effects that Philipp Schiepek adds on his guitar. The title should also contribute to creating a “cinema in the head” effect when listening. However, the background is different. “The musical theme consists of the notes D, A, B, A and D. This is what happens when you have to spend a lot of time at home and have to set yourself the task of translating words into sounds,” smiles the composer.
The joy of playing and energy that she unleashed with her guests is released in the title track “Poison Ivy”. A title that can be interpreted on two levels. “Poison Ivy is a character from the Batman comics who really impressed me when I was younger. She knows everything about plants and takes advantage of their properties,” says Wulff about the fictional doctor of botany with green skin. A color that Wulff has also been associated with since she appeared on stage in a green outfit. “I neither foresaw nor intended that it would become a kind of corporate identity after just two appearances,” she emphasizes, but makes it clear: “I like green because it is the color of hope and I want to make a statement after the long forced break “I wanted there to be a reason to be more optimistic about the future.”
For the first time, Wulff is releasing her compositions in various formats and compilations. While the vinyl edition reveals the musical essence of the session, the CD and digital edition offer additional pieces. For example, with two different versions of “Someone Might Fall in Love with Your Smile”. Wulff recorded one version with double bass, bass clarinet, drums and cello, the other with a core trio plus Alma Naidu as a guest singer. The changing line-ups (from duo to quintet) create completely different sound worlds and make “Poison Ivy” their most atmospheric and colorful album to date.