​

Stacey Juritz Ravens Keller

​

Stacey Juritz Ravens Keller is the coming together of Johannesburg composer and bow expert Cara Stacey, South African violinist and composer Galina Juritz, German harpist Antonia Ravens and Swiss guitarist and sonic explorer Beat Keller. Like the Grass documents and reimagines their meeting on a warm summer’s evening in Basel, Switzerland. 

Together they improvised using a graphic score titled “Luhlata njengetjani” (“Green like the grass” in the southern African Siswati language), inspired by the rivers of eSwatini, blackbirds in the parks of Basel and the evocative, red-flowered umcinci or erythrina tree. The South African umrhubhe mouthbow’s dense harmonics folded around skittering, fractal violin loops; temperate swells of guitar were punctuated by agitated harp pings and the hearty thuds of Ugandan and Mozambican lamellophones.

This joyous, unfettered outpouring criss-crossed between southern Africa and Europe, forwards and backwards, for the following two years. Joined by two of their favourite producers in Michael Marshall (Object Agency, Poirier Marshall Partners) and Tom Skinner (Hello Skinny, Okumu Herbert Skinner Trio), Stacey and Juritz turned their attentions to the B side, unpicking the live fruits and arranging four new mosaics - ranging from frenetic techno to fractured R'n'B introspection, via languid hip hop and Cara's rambling, euphoric closer.

🌾

Recorded as part of Cara Stacey’s studio residency in Basel, Switzerland, supported by ProHelvetia Johannesburg. Cara has also released two solo records on Kit, check them out here.

​

​