German baritone saxophonist and composer Kira Linn presents her latest work Illusion, alongside her six-piece band – the Linntett. The album moves in genres ranging from pop to jazz and indie to electro, neo-soul and R&B, played by three saxophones (Linn on baritone, Nino Wenger on alto and Christoper Kunz on tenor) as well as Rhodes (Lukas Großmann), electric bass (Lukas Keller) and drums (Johannes Koch).

Linn’s technique and training are rooted in more traditional big band and modern jazz styles, but she has also been influenced by the likes of Billie Eilish, Arlo Parks and Laura Mvula, making for an album with an exciting mix of styles. For the first time, she sings and has written her own lyrics. “I started to write songs and also I wanted to use my voice,” she explains. “It’s so different from playing notes because of course, it’s so much more direct.” Anger and powerlessness, but also strength, diversity and freedom are core concepts that run through the record, “the songs are all inspired by emotions and topics that came up during the pandemic,” Linn says. These concepts are also represented visually in the design with bright, bold colors and a bandleader who takes on a new form in every picture.

Featuring a standout solo from Linn, a synth bassline and attacking melodies, the track ‘Rage’ packs a punch early on in the album. “I felt very angry and also was missing freedom,” remembers Linn, “this is why this composition has little bit of a modal part in the in the song I’m soloing over – to express more freedom.” Another hard-hitting song is ‘Women to Sky’. “This is probably the most important song to me,” says Linn. This track is about social injustice in the world and aims to empower women. The changing moods of the song reinforce this statement of unpredictability, strength and diversity. Linn continues, “I want to empower women and I hope I can also be an inspiration for little girls who would like to learn an instrument but are too shy to do it.”

‘Numb_ers’ represents that overwhelm created by the constant confrontation with infection and death tolls during the pandemic and the track includes Gameboy-like synth lines. It has a companion track on the album – ‘Dumb_ness’, which is “basically the same song, but we did something crazy with it,” says Linn. “So, ‘Numb_ers’ is the song as it is from beginning to end, and then for ‘Dumb_ness’ we played the song backwards and then we reversed it again.” She continues, “it’s like a little effect. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do. I came up with it because during the pandemic there were so many restrictions and regulations, it felt mechanic. I wanted to write this song for saxophones. They always have the same chord structure and move all together – like being in a machine. The fact that we then recorded it backwards makes them sound even more like a machine because the saxophones do not sound real anymore.”

Illusion is an album demonstrating the startling creativity of Linn who so competently uses her work to speak about social themes on her own terms and in her own distinctive way – a refreshing new record from a refreshing new voice on the scene.