The Melissa Aldana quartet from Chile and the USA join WollCon’s Jazz Series lineup for two intimate (and different) performances on Friday 28th October.
Born in Santiago, Chile, and growing up in a musical family, Award-winning saxophonist Melissa Aldana has garnered international recognition for her visionary work as a bandleader, as well as her deeply meditative interpretation of language and vocabulary. She performed in Santiago jazz clubs in her early teens and was invited by pianist Danilo Pérez to play at the 2005 Panama Jazz Festival.
At 24, she became the first female instrumentalist and the first South American musician to win the prestigious Thelonious Monk International Jazz Saxophone Competition. In 2019, Aldana release her celebrated album Visions (Motéma), which earned her a GRAMMY nomination and led to NPR Music naming the release among the best albums of the year.
“Aldana has the elusive ability to balance technical achievement against a rich emotional palette.”
For this intimate performance at the Wollongong Conservatorium of Music Auditorium, Aldana’s all star quartet will play music from the saxophonists new album, 12 Stars, which grapples with concepts of childrearing, familial forgiveness, acceptance, and self-love. Inspired by the arcs and nuances of tarot, 12 Stars features a series of tributes to moments of challenge and triumph in Aldana’s New York life.
The album was produced by the Norwegian guitarist Lage Lund, who also performs as part of a remarkable quartet with Kush Abadey on drums, and Aldana’s longtime collaborator and confidant Pablo Menares on bass.
TWO SHOWS: 7pm and 8:30pm – Friday 28th October
Wollongong Conservatorium of Music, Auditorium.
Tickets:
$65 Both Shows (each show a little different)
$35 General (per show)
$30 Student/Concession (per show)
Melissa Aldana – saxophone
Pablo Menares – bass
Kush Abadey – drums
Lage Lund – guitar
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