Leán’s trademark for years now has been to interpret existing compositions inspired by the rhythms and melodies of different cultures, and intertwined with their authentic musical voices. With “Tierra Azul”, they even go further and create a musical universe around the Argentine poet Alfonsina Storni. A mythical figure for decades to the artists, she is at the center of “Alfonsina y el Mar”, a song already on « Pangea », Leán’s first album. If the group has evolved into a trio with Silke Clarysse (classical guitar), Gielis Cautaers (percussion) and Otto Kint (double bass), it is now joined by Vanesa Diaz Gil (vocals, saxophone) & Quinten de Craecker (trombone). On “Tierra Azul”, Leán uses Storni’s poetry as a starting point. From the 1920s, this feminist tackled subjects such as depression, the status of single mothers and sexuality. To overcome the translation limitations during the writing process, they chose a radically different approach : analyzing cadence, rhythm and tonality by listening Spanish speakers read Storni’s texts. The group then worked with the Spanish Vanesa Diaz Gil to analyze the lyrics and shed light on the very essence of the texts as well as the emotions that emerge from them. The result is a multi-layered experience of compositions rooted in the rhythm and tonality of Storni’s lyrics.

Silke Clarysse: classical guitar

Gielis Cautaers: percussion

Otto Kint: double bass

Vanesa Diaz Gil: vocals, saxophone

Quinten de Craecker: trombone