Inspired by chapters from The Alchemist author Paulo Coelho’s lesser-known book, Manuscript Found In Accra, “Solitude” extols the benefits of time spent with oneself. With rapid-fire bars over a stripped-down raw instrumental, driven by live drums and upright bass, emcee JSWISS and Dizzy SenZe trade verses over composer Michael Leonhart’s gritty production. This early effort from Michael Leonhart & JSWISS as a duo is what led to their full-length Bona Fide album, released in 2022.

Dizzy SenZe has carved out a strong presence as a respected lyricist in New York City’s freestyle and cipher scene with strong showings at popular emcee challenges like End of The Weak. While JSWISS and Dizzy had known each other for a few years before this collaboration, “Solitude” is their first time appearing together on a song.

“Solitude” features Homer Steinweiss (Amy Winehouse, Menahan Street
Band, El Michels Affair, The Dap-Kings) on drums and bassist Joe Martin
(Donald Fagen, Brad Mehldau, Kurt Rosenwinkel)—who was in the mix for
JSWISS’ first performances with the Michael Leonhart Orchestra at Jazz
Standard in 2019. The undeniable chemistry between Leonhart and JSWISS during these live shows inspired them to start writing and recording new music.