Claudia Acuña / Latin American Jazz -World

Claudia Acuña /   Latin American Jazz -World 

Presented by Terraza 7

Date: Saturday, May 11th, 2024

Time: 7:30 pm

Admission: $25 Cover Charge Mezzanine

Featuring:

• Claudia Acuña / Voice
• Yayo Serka / Drums
• Carlos Henderson / Bass
• Manu Koch / Piano

About Claudia Acuña:

Reflection and re-dedication are constant themes in the life and work of Claudia Acuña. Since her dynamic debut on the New York scene in the 1990s, she released five albums as a leader before taking a break to embrace motherhood and renew her energy. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, she returned rejuvenated in 2019, delivering the Latin Grammy-nominated album 'Turning Pages', which represented reclamation, recovery, resilience, and documented a major creative leap.

As 2020 challenged the world, we all underwent our own transformative journeys, reflecting on intent and purpose. Claudia revisited a long-held aspiration: to record a duets album with songs from her homeland, Chile. During the global slowdown, Acuña used this time to honor the past, rediscover her core passion, and the profound impact of music. The outcome is 'DUO': 9 songs recorded with some of the world's finest musicians. Collaborating in the studio with artists like Fred Hersch, Christian McBride, and Kenny Barron for an intimate recording was a vulnerable experience for her, but the ease and comfort she found set the tone. The simplicity of the duets, feeling the music and allowing it to flow, brought her to a new place as a singer.

Seven of the songs on 'DUO' are by composers from Chile, Cuba, Argentina, and Mexico, plus one from the legendary Chick Corea. The final track is Acuña's own composition, an ode to her relationship with Mother Earth, expressing a revelation: '...at the end of the day we all walk alone, and we can discover our beauty when we see Earth and us as one.'

Born on July 3, 1971, in Santiago and raised in Concepción, Acuña made her mark on the Chilean jazz scene in her early twenties. Upon her arrival in New York City in 1995, she rapidly gained recognition, joining a transformative wave of Latin American musicians. Active in the vibrant scene centered around Small's, she engaged in collaborations with maestros such as Jason Lindner, Harry Whitaker, Arturo O'Farrill, Guillermo Klein, Avishai Cohen, Branford Marsalis, George Benson, Louie Vega, Danilo Perez, and Tom Harrell.

Her five albums as a leader have cemented Acuña as an innovative artist, from 2002's 'Rhythm of Life' (Verve) and 2004's 'Luna' (MaxJazz), to 2008's 'In These Shoes' (Zoho Music) and 2009's enchanting 'En Este Momento' (Marsalis Music). Whether interpreting popular Latin American ballads, reimagining jazz standards through a South American lens, or infusing Afro-Caribbean material with expansive rhythmic insights, Acuña shines as a passionate and profoundly expressive singer, with a voice of gleaming, burnished bronze.

Over the past decade, she has prioritized her son over her recording career. Instead of touring, she's remained local, where her sharp intellect and bold spirit have made her a preferred vocalist for some of jazz's most inventive figures.