It’s the first piece of music the band have released in seven
years, following a run of well-received albums, and winning a MOBO
Award, Waldmann was forced to take a break due to an arm injury. Now
recovered and with a new album planned for release in the coming months,
the first tune from the sessions ‘The Body Keeps The Score’, which
again features regular collaborator Mårtensson, is a meditative
folk-jazz song that embodies his grandmother’s motto “tomorrow may be a
better day” – an apt sentiment for our troubled times. It’s also a
tribute to her incredible story – which Waldmann explains in his own
words:
“On 26 May, my grandmother Rena Young would have turned 100 years
old. I often think of her, particularly during challenging periods. I
know whatever I may be experiencing cannot possibly compare to what she
and many other victims of illness, war, prejudice and displacement had
and have to endure.
Fleeing Nazi invaded Poland only to find herself in Stalin occupied
Poland, Rena, along with many other refugees, was sent to a work camp in
Siberia where she was given the task of making bricks. This perhaps was
the beginning of her becoming a sculptor in later life. After a
harrowing few years she was able to leave Siberia with General Anders
Army-in-exile after Germany declared war on Russia. This took her on
another epic journey through Russia, the Caspian Sea, Persia, Beirut,
and eventually to a resettlement camp near Brighton where my father
spent his first years. He sometimes speaks about the corrugated iron hut
they called home.
When Rena passed away in 2017 after a long and full life of caring
for others, she had been suffering from dementia for many years. One of
the cruellest of illnesses. Despite all the hardships she
experienced, Rena remained a beacon of love and optimism, which was best
encapsulated in her well-known catchphrase “tomorrow may be a better
day”.
Like most of us, I’ve been left heartbroken seeing recent events
unfold around the world. The loss of loved ones in devastating numbers
and the actions of some governments has been hard to process. Human
lives reduced to mere statistics.
At the same time, I am deeply inspired and full of gratitude for all
the brave people on the front-line saving lives and keeping society
functioning. With all that in mind, I’d like to share this song written
in Rena’s memory. It was due for release later in the year on a new
album but now felt like the right time.
It’s called ‘The Body Keeps the Score’, the title of the brilliant
book about trauma by Bessell van der Kolk. I hope this song in some
small way can speak to the spirit of communion and unity needed to see
us through this time, and that it honours Rena’s story. It is dedicated
to her and the many others who weren’t able to say goodbye. May tomorrow be a better day”.
With love, Adam”
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