Yumi Ito

The destruction of Earth, the only true kingdom we humans have; the committal of a friend to a psychiatric hospital; the heroin-death of her unknown neighbour: Yumi Ito weaves into her music stories about society - stories that matter, regardless of how large or small, how bright or dark they are. The sound is equally diverse and presents itself as an amalgam of several styles. What might seem tricky, really isn’t: the musician, composer, producer and arranger with Japanese and Polish roots expertly navigates a clear stylistic path, based on hundreds of hours of practice. Like a Zen master she observes, classifies and writes down events from a distance – precise, concentrated and wise. Yumi Ito lives and works in Basel, performs regularly all around the world and has shared the stage with artists such as Al Jarreau, Becca Stevens, Nils Petter Molvaer and Mark Turner. Her own art includes jazz, art-pop, electronica, free improvisation and neo-classical music, flexibly performable from solo to orchestra, while - of course - always telling a story.