Jazz at Princeton University will bridge cultures and traditions through performance program ‘Historias’ (Stories) on Saturday, Feb. 22.
Students in the Jazz Vocal Collective Ensemble, alongside acclaimed Chilean musician Claudia Acuña, will present this performance at 8 p.m. in Richardson Auditorium, Alexander Hall, Jazz at Princeton University.
According to university officials, Jazz at Princeton University, under the direction of Rudresh Mahanthappa, serves to promote this uniquely American music as a contemporary and relevant art form.
Directed by Dr. Trineice Robinson-Martin the program in February will feature songs performed in both Spanish and English.
Claudia Acuña is a singer, songwriter, and arranger.
Mentored by Chilean artists Violeta Parra and Victor Jara, and Spanish singer-songwriter Joan Manuel Serrat along with American jazz vocalists Betty Carter, Abbey Lincoln, Etta Jones and Dianne Reeves, Acuña is a true Cinderella story of jazz, according to university officials.
Starting off with no training in English or in jazz, she has emerged as one of the most intriguing and original vocalists on the scene. Abbey Lincoln remarked of Acuña, “She sings in the tradition of the great ones. Her sound is her own.”
Acuña established herself on the Chilean jazz scene in her early 20s. When she arrived in New York City in 1995, Acuña quickly gained recognition as a leading voice on a scene rapidly being transformed by a wave of brilliant Latin American musicians.
She plunged into collaborations with masters, such as Jason Lindner, Harry Whitaker, Arturo O’Farrill, Guillermo Klein, and bassist Avishai Cohen, who co-produced her critically hailed 2000 debut “Wind From the South” (Verve). Her five albums as a leader established Acuña as a creative force, from 2002’s “Rhythm of Life” (Verve) and 2004’s “Luna” (MaxJazz) through 2008’s “In These Shoes” (Zoho Music) and 2009’s strikingly beautiful “En Este Momento” (Marsalis Music).
According to officials, whether she is putting her stamp on popular Latin American ballads, reimagining jazz standards from a South American perspective, or infusing Afro-Caribbean material with a wide rhythmic sensibility, Acuña stands out as a passionate and emotionally incisive singer with a gleaming, burnished bronze tone.
For much of the past decade she’s put her recording career on the backburner to focus on raising her son. Instead of touring, she’s stayed closer to home, where her keen intelligence and intrepid spirit has made her the vocalist of choice for many of jazz’s most creative figures.
She’s thrived by pursuing multiple musical directions with artists, such as Susie Ibarra, Billy Childs, Henry Threadgill, the Rodriguez Brothers, and Elio Villa-Franca.
Tickets are $15 for general admission and $5 for students.
For information and tickets call 609-258-9220 or visit www.music.princeton.edu.
