Band of Sisters: Music Action Women Collective Captures the Global Sound of Women’s Hard-Won Triumphs
Around the world, women are fighting bold uphill battles, insisting on their artistic integrity and leadership in music and in their societies. They are fighting to be artists, not women musicians or female composers. Along the way, they are transforming their communities--and making some diverse, kick-ass music.
Music Action Lab invited a handful of these women, hailing from Philly to Yerevan to Singapore, to form a band and create music together. After a residency in San Francisco that incorporated social activism training, entrepreneurial support, and musical engagement, these six artists recorded Music Action Women Collective: The EP (release date: September 20, 2019).
Drawing on electronic and club music, Latin alt-trad, jazz, contemporary classical, and their own idiosyncratic influences, this collective of six wildly talented musicians crafted compositions that showcase their power and perspective. Some (“Nazeni”) suggest traditional song structures, some explore profoundly poetic territory (“Lullaby,” an ode to a yet-to-be-born daughter). Some are seriously groove based (the super funky “Breathe,” the Balkan blast of “Rules Change”), some run free (the wild sway of “Hide”). The compositions all highlight women’s varied and nuanced perspectives.
Unlike many international exchanges, this project put musical chemistry first, building a band, not ticking off geographic or other boxes. This approach yielded a wonderfully cohesive group that avoids the pitfalls of many cross-cultural mashups, creating instead a sonic sandbox where the participants could experiment, learn, and inspire one another.
“The community we made with this project is just a seed, a tiny point,” reflects Serbian saxophonist, composer, band leader, and music therapist Jasna Joviċeviċ, “but if nourished carefully, it could grow into the place where we find shelter, a place to rest for the next giant step, and help us become stronger every time.”
“This project was a life-changing experience,” explains singer, songwriter, and pianist Sevana Tchakerian, who leads several ensembles and education initiatives from her base in Armenia. “I had the luxury to find myself with a diversified and motivated all-female cohort of professional musicians, from around the world, for two whole weeks. Being able to create music and work on the challenges of being a female musician in a male-dominated industry has been a catalyst to reorient my professional, artistic and personal life.”
About the Collective
From five continents, the Collective members specialize in a range of styles and genres. They include:
Liz Draper (USA/ bass) -- A classically and jazz-trained versatile bassist, Liz has performed, recorded, and toured internationally with such groups as the Grammy Award-winning Okee Dokee Brothers and Soul Asylum. She has led a diverse range of projects, including Black Blondie, an all-female alternative R&B group featured on the same stage as Questlove and Amy Winehouse, the all-female Carpscale Orkester, and Up The Mountain Down The Mountain, an acoustic chamber doom folk metal project.
Barb Duncan, Muzikaldunk “The MD” (US / Drums) -- Drummer, producer, and educator Muzikaldunk is a Philadelphia-born and -raised musician who has worked as a concert and session drummer, produced music for up-and-coming artists and taught young musicians how to perfect their craft. A community advocate and activist, she is developing a rehearsal and audio/visual studio in West Philly for experienced and novice creators to have a safe space to work, network and build. She is also a member of the alternative rock band JJX and regularly performs with The Remixologist and The Sea Tease. In 2018 Muzikaldunk was honored with the HIT LIKE A GIRL Technology Breakthrough Award of 2018. She also released her first instrumental album “GOLD-MIND”.
Maria Fernanda Gonzalez (Venezuela / Bandola llanera) -- Maria Fernanda is a Barquisimeto-based multi-instrumentalist and journalist. After years of studying cuatro, mandolin and violin, Maria decided to take up the bandola llanera, an obscure Venezuelan instrument with few well-known female performers. She has performed internationally at Festival of Música llanera the Silbón (Venezuela), the festival Girara de Oro (Colombia), the 32nd Music Office Curitiba (Brazil), The International Jazz Festival Barquisimeto (Venezuela) and Folklorico Summer Festivals (Portugal and Spain). She recently toured Greece, Turkey, Cyprus, France, and Italy, performing joropos, a traditional music of the high plains of Venezuela. She teaches master classes on the bandola llanera and is working on codifying and writing a new universal teaching method for the instrument.
Jasna Joviċeviċ (Serbia / Saxophones, Woodwinds, Percussion) -- Jasna is a saxophone, bass clarinet, flute, and spacedrum player and composer from Serbia. Jasna received her Bachelor’s degree from Franc Liszt Music Academy in Budapest, Hungary, and Master’s degree in composition from York University in Toronto. She has also studied music in Serbia, Brazil, US, and Austria, won grants to artist residency programs worldwide, and performed her work around Europe and North America at various international competitions and festivals. A music educator and therapist, Jasna also is the founder and leader of the all-female “New Spark Jazz Orchestra,” featuring Balkan women in jazz. She has recorded several solo albums (“Flow Vertical,” “Invented Reality” and “The Sound of Birds”) and contributed to more than a dozen other recording projects.
Claire Marie Lim (Singapore / Electronics, vocals) -- Claire is a music technologist and interdisciplinary artist specializing in audio production, writing, and technology, and has worked with organizations such as Beats By Girlz, SisterSMATR, Girls Rock Campaign, and Women in Music. She is a proud DJ for Alphabet Rockers, a Grammy-nominated group that spreads messages of social justice and empowerment to children and youth via hip hop music and dance.
Kasiva Mutua, Music Director (Kenya) -- An alumna of Giant Steps’ Music Action Lab 2.0, Kasiva Mutua is an acclaimed percussionist and advocate of women's rights. A percussionist since childhood, Kasiva is known for her seamless abilities to fuse African music with modern styles crossing hip-hop, reggae, and jazz. Kasiva has deep experience in musical collaborations, such as Coke Studio Africa, The Nile Project, 1Beat, and Xjazz. Kasiva has worked with such musicians as Kirk Whalum (US), Oliver Mtukudzi (Zimbabwe), Suzanna Owiyo (Kenya), Dina El Wedidi (Egypt), Kidum (Burundi) and reggae artist Anthony B (Jamaica).
Sevana Tchakerian (Armenia / Vocals, keys, accordion, flute) -- Sevana is a French-Armenian musician, songwriter, educator and tour manager. In 2012, she co-founded the Collectif Medz Bazar, a multi-ethnic band creating traditional and original songs melding Middle-Eastern and Balkan folk, hip-hop, chanson, cabaret, jazz, and Latin influences. In 2015, Sevana moved to Armenia to initiate Tsap-Tsapik, an inclusive music program aiming at rural educational development and pedagogical innovation. She is working to publish the first preschool music education curriculum in Armenian. She has created Dayl’Ayl Production, a tour management agency to promote Armenian musical talent internationally.
About the Project
The inaugural edition of Music Action Women, a social impact-driven music residency bringing together outstanding female artists committed to advancing the causes of women through music, was held in early 2019 in partnership with the University of San Francisco and in its Performing Arts for Social Justice program, the Fellows enjoyed a dynamic schedule combining interactive learning workshops and rehearsals facilitated by domain experts, hosted in the historic Presentation Theater.
Music Action Women was produced by Giant Steps, a music-meets-social action initiative.
About Giant Steps
Founded in 2016, Giant Steps Music creates innovative musical approaches to social justice and social impact. Its flagship program is the Music Action Lab, a residency for musicians across the world to come together, learn from each other, and create original music advancing global social issues and empowering them to be changemakers in their communities. To date, Giant Steps has worked with 24 artists across 5 continents and 14 countries. Its acclaimed albums, which have been featured in the Huffington Post, PBS, Pop Matters, and Jazz Weekly, include Foundation and What If.
