Russian jazz pianist Julia Perminova recorded her latest album in 2022 at Bauer Studios in Ludwisburg, Germany. It is a musical diary of sorts, in which Perminova shares her thoughts, feelings and experiences on the significance of freedom in one’s life.

Perminova explains that “Freedom is crucial for me to live and create. Without it I begin to wither, like a plant without water. Every track of the album carries a deep meaning for me, and they are all inextricably linked with the concept of Freedom.”

The oldest of the album’s compositions, “Sea Lullaby”, was written in 2018 on a cruise ship in the Caribbean, on which Perminova has spent a great deal of time working as a performer. The piece is both a dedication to the grandeur and vastness of the open ocean, as well as a quiet lament over the lack of freedom inherent to the life of a ship worker, albeit one of occasional luxury!

“Freedom”, the album’s title track, was composed after a return to regular life following Perminova’s time at sea. The piece incorporates some rather difficult musical passages, included as intentional challenges to the performers’ rhythmic independence – in other words, one hand’s freedom from the other while playing.

“Simple Truths” was composed in 2019 during Perminova’s studies at the Conservatory of Amsterdam. It's about the simple things one begins to appreciate when freedom is limited.

In her own words, “Lost and Confident” is Perminova’s “anthem to the inner state experienced during the pandemic. It was a long and difficult period for me, with closed borders and concert venues. It took time to recover physically and mentally, and I could not write music for a long time. But out of that terrible state, this piece emerged! It is about those who sometimes feel lost, but remain confident that they will find a sense of meaning to guide them through the hard times. For me, music provides such a meaning.”

She continues: “When I was finishing my last semester at Jazz Institute Berlin, I wrote another piece that could be considered an anthem to my life spread out across many different cities and countries.” That piece, “My Home is Everywhere”, emerged from a sense of pride and empowerement that Perminova felt in her ability to thrive despite her frequent relocations. In contrast, her piece “Uncertainty” reflects opposing feelings and the exhaustion she felt upon her recent move to Basel, Switzerland near the end of 2021. The song has a distinct rhythmic instability that mirrors the emotional theme, although Perminova adds that “despite the song’s complexity, the band nailed it!”

“Dear Diary”, the album’s most recently-composed track, is dedicated to Anne Frank. After reading “The Diary of a Young Girl”, Perminova was struck by the young girl’s courage and incredible sense of inner freedom in the face of the horrors of the Holocaust.