A Time to Remember Elina Duni

• 1Évasion04:19
• 2Hape Derën04:39
• 3A Time to Remember05:10
• 4Whispers of Water05:52
• 5E Vogël04:10
• 6Dawn02:11
• 7First Song05:25
• 8Mora Testinë03:57
• 9Send in the Clowns04:29
• 10Mallëngjimi04:21
• 11Sunderland05:20
• 12I'll Be Seeing You03:44
• Total Runtime53:37

Info for A Time to Remember

"A Time To Remember" is a continuation of the special synergy that inhabited Elina Duni’s acclaimed Lost Ships and finds her regrouping with that album’s quartet of guitarist Rob Luft, Matthieu Michel on flugelhorn and Fred Thomas on percussion and piano. As the title suggests, the notion of ‘time’ pulls through the programme like a theme, connecting music from different parts of the world – traditionals, popular songs and original compositions – in performances of deep lyricism but also fleet-footed folklore. The repertory spans Albanian and Kosovan traditionals, American songs like the Broadway classic “I’ll Be Seeing You” and Stephen Sondheim’s musical ballad “Send In The Clowns” as well as originals by Rob and Elina. Commenting on the group’s last effort, Jazzwise said that “the sum of Duni and Luft’s work together seems greater than their individual achievements, where concept and conceptualisation have combined to produce a classic.” A Time To Remember should confirm that proposition and further expands on the qualities explored previously.

“I think this album is a reflection of our shared passion for musical storytelling, going beyond genre and language. After several years on the road touring together, the slightly unconventional lineup now sits comfortably, and inhabits its own, singular world of sound. It feels like the most cinematic album I’ve made to date, too, with every song suggesting a different film. It draws inspiration from our diverse, multi-lingual repertoire of traditional folksong.” (Elina Duni)

"Duni’s voice is remarkable, for while it is crystal clear in its multilingual enunciation it is also intimate and expressive in tone. […] Whatever the song, she approaches it with a tentative and in place haunting delivery, fully expressing the longing described in many of the songs…" (Simon Adams, Jazz Journal)

Elina Duni, voice, vocals
Rob Luft, guitar
Matthieu Michel, flugelhorn
Fred Thomas, piano, drums

Elina Duni
Born into an artistic family in Tirana, Albania, in 1981, Elina Duni made her first steps on the stage as a singer aged five, singing for National Radio and Television.

In 1992, after the fall of the communist regime, she settled in Geneva, Switzerland, with her mother, where she started studying classical piano and thereafter discovered jazz.

She went on to study on the jazz programme at the Hochschule der Künste in Bern. During this time, she formed the Elina Duni Quartet with Colin Vallon on piano, Patrice Moret on double bass and Norbert Pfammatter on drums. This represented a return to her musical roots, a combination of Balkan folk songs and jazz.

After two albums, “Baresha” (2008) and “Lume Lume” (2010), both on Meta Records, the quartet went on to release for ECM in 2012, “Matanë Malit” (Beyond the Mountain) and in 2015, “Dallëndyshe” (Swallow), which were praised by the wider European media for their lightness as well as their subtle manner of exploring Albanian folklore.

In 2014, Elina Duni released her first album as a singer-songwriter in Kosovo and Albania, entitled “Muza e Zezë” (The Black Muse).

In 2017 Elina Duni was one of the recipient of the Swiss Music Prize and started three new projects:
A duo with the highly acclaimed london guitarist: Rob Luft
“Tribute to Billie Holiday” with pianist Jean-Paul Brodbeck
“Aksham”, a quintet featuring pianist Marc Perrenoud and trumpet player David Enhco
The new project entitled “Partir” featuring Elina Duni as a soloist (accompanying herself on piano, acoustic guitar and percussion), will be released on record the 27th April 2018 on ECM.

Booklet for A Time to Remember