Amid loss and uncertainty of wartime, Kyiv’s jazz fusion scene plays on – one filmmaker wants to capture it

At the start of Russia’s full-scale war, Kyiv-based Swiss filmmaker Marc Wilkins, like many artists in Ukraine, was struggling to create.

“The violence around me left me feeling paralyzed,” Wilkins, who has lived full-time in Ukraine since 2016, told the Kyiv Independent.

But then Wilkins learned of an admirable initiative in Kyiv’s jazz fusion scene, which he had been following for some years leading up to the full-scale war.

The musicians affiliated with the Fusion Jams collective – which describes itself on social media as “a community of contemporary jazz and free people” – were coming together to stage performances and collect funds for the Ukrainian military.

“Louder than Bombs,” the documentary that Wilkins is making, will chronicle the lives of these young musicians, and how the war led to some of them composing music even on the front line.

Wilkins is currently running a fundraiser to secure the 39,000 euros ($43,574) in financing needed to continue the film’s production.

The young musicians in Kyiv’s jazz fusion scene are driven by more than just patriotism as they raise funds for the military during their concerts. Their lives, like the majority of Ukrainians, have been forever changed by Russia’s war.

At the start of the full-scale invasion, Fusion Jams lost one of their own – Oleksandra Kuvshynova.

Kuvshynova’s name made international headlines when she was killed in Kyiv Oblast while working as a fixer for the U.S. media outlet Fox News, but she was also a beloved member of Ukraine’s jazz fusion community for her contributions to build up the Fusion Jams collective in the years leading up to the full-scale war.

Organizing concerts to raise money for the military was a kind of “artistic revenge” for their fallen friend, according to Wilkins.

Kyiv’s jazz fusion scene is defined by the dynamic energy of its young musicians. Founded in 2019, Fusion Jams was established, in part, with a need to go against the stereotype that jazz was an antiquated music genre and to encourage young people to have a space to create.

Jazz fusion, which first emerged as a genre in the 1960s, blends elements of jazz with rock, funk, hip-hop, and other musical styles. Known for its boundary-pushing approach, jazz fusion is distinguished from traditional jazz by more experimentation with both stylistic elements and technological innovations.

Fusion Jams became one of the largest music communities in Kyiv, even before the full-scale war.

Kyiv’s jazz fusion musicians “look just like the cool kids that can be found searching for their paths into adulthood in New York, London or Berlin,” if it weren’t for the fact their lives, like those of all Ukrainians, have been forever changed by the war, according to Wilkins.

The fact that they were still creating music during wartime “touched me so deeply and gave me so much light and energy to see that we continue to exist (in Ukraine) through culture and art,” Wilkins said.

As a musical genre, jazz epitomizes individuality and creative freedom due to its strong emphasis on improvisation. Simultaneously, it fosters a sense of mutual understanding among musicians, as creating compelling music requires musicians to listen attentively and remain in harmony with one another.

For Wilkins, who was inspired to move to Ukraine after “seeing European history in the making” during the Revolution of Dignity (EuroMaidan Revolution) in 2014, the country’s jazz fusion scene serves as a powerful metaphor for its democratic transition.

“Something that we are kind of lacking sometimes here in Ukraine is the ability to listen to each other and give each other a little space — a certain flexibility, let’s say. When there’s an external threat, Ukrainians are incredibly united and always come together. But outside of that, it can still be difficult for people,” he said.

This issue can be attributed to the lingering effects of centralized control from the Soviet era, which can still exert an influence over some people and how they view themselves and the world around them.

“Fusion jams are the opposite of that. You cannot come on stage without listening and giving space to the others. That’s why I feel (this music is) incredibly important for Ukraine and Ukrainian society.”

Since settling in Kyiv, Wilkins has made important contributions to the city’s cultural life. He co-founded the Naked Room, a gallery dedicated to showcasing the works of contemporary Ukrainian artists. They also established a digital marketplace where people can support Ukrainian artists by purchasing their art.

Wilkins is also a co-founder of Reitarska Circle, a popular food market in Kyiv inside of a renovated Soviet-era modernist building. The project is a rare example of business owners cooperating with an original architect to preserve their vision and rethink public spaces in a respectful way.

The anticipated final version of “Louder than Bombs” will highlight the various ways Russia’s war has disrupted the lives of the Fusion Jams musicians, including how some were compelled to fight on the front line.

These trajectories are particularly compelling not only because they reflect the choices of artists but also because they resonate with the broader experiences of every Ukrainian since the start of Russia’s war.

By day, Danylo, a composer turned commander, shoots down Russian tanks as a part of a drone unit, and at night, he creates music on the keyboard he brought with him to the front line to find some sort of temporary escape from the horrors of war he witnesses firsthand.

Mykhailo, one of the founders of Fusion Jams, is still making music and raising funds for the military. But the male musicians who are continuing to create music in Kyiv understand that they might not always have that luxury and can be mobilized.

Andriy, a saxophonist, tries to compose as many new songs as possible as a means of mentally reconciling with the prospect of being drafted into the military, where he faces the risk of death.

Anna turns to the bandura, a traditional Ukrainian stringed instrument, after the death of her first love who was killed in battle.

Wilkins hopes that viewers of the documentary will see that “Louder than Bombs” is “about rebel artists, dreamers, and the power of art to transcend reality at its bleakest, as much as it is about violence, identity and freedom.”

The documentary would be a celebration of Ukrainians’ humanity, creativity, and resilience over the past two and a half years.

Wilkins believes Kyiv’s jazz fusion community can show the world how Ukrainians, despite Russia’s intent on destroying Ukraine, are able to overcome feelings of fear and despair – in their case, through creating music.

“We don’t know what will happen to us tonight, we don’t know what will happen to us tomorrow,” Wilkins said.

“But we really want to finish this film.”

If you would like to support the production of “Louder than Bombs,” consider contributing to Marc’s fundraiser on Indiegogo.

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Note from the author:

Hi, this is Kate Tsurkan, sharing an important culture-related story from Ukraine. It’s important to show the ways in which Ukraine’s cultural sphere is enduring despite the hardships of wartime and that’s why I was so inspired to write about this documentary. Hopefully, we can see more and more dynamic films like this in the future. If you like reading such stories, please consider supporting The Kyiv Independent.

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