Portál Pražana
Chilean jazz musician’s concert in Prague
On the 29th of October, Chilean saxophonist Melissa Aldana will perform in Novodvorská Cultural Centre. Aldana can be characterised as a musician with a great temperament, virtuosity and love of jazz roots. The concert is part of the concert series Jazz Meets World.
Thirty-year-old Melissa Aldana has music in her blood. Her father was a saxophonist who influenced her childhood by playing records of legendary jazz musicians. At the age of six, he gave her a saxophone, which has become an integral part of her personality ever since.
Fateful meeting
Aldana played in jazz clubs in her native Santiago as a teenager. When she learned that Daniel Pérez, a famous pianist and teacher, was going to visit Chile, she decided to meet him. It was a crucial encounter for her future.
When Pérez heard her play, he arranged for her to attend the Panama Jazz Festival and even organised interviews for her in two of the most famous jazz schools in Boston, USA – Berklee College of Music and the New England Conservatory. She was accepted into both schools, and decided on Berklee, where her teachers were talented jazz musicians.
The first woman to win the Thelonious Monk International Competition
Aldana recorded her debut album ‘Free Fall’ in 2010, and her second album ‘Second Cycle’ was produced two years later. In 2013, she became the first woman and the first South American musician to win the prestigious international jazz competition, the Thelonious Monk International Competition. She recorded her third album ‘Melissa Aldana & Crash Trio’.
Prague concert
There cannot be any doubt that Aldana’s performance in Prague will be a great musical experience. During the concert, she will play compositions from her fifth, and most recent, album ‘Visions’, which she dedicated to Frida Kahlo.
The exceptional jazz musician will be accompanied by her colleague from Berklee, the Norwegian guitarist Lage Lund; the bass player Pablo Menares, who has been with her since the time when she was playing in clubs in Santiago; and drummer Kush Abadey.
Chinese bass player
The following day, on the 30th of October, the Chinese bass player, Linda Oh, will play in Novodvorská Cultural Centre. Oh will play in Prague with the London-born alto saxophonist Will Vinson, the Canadian guitarist Matthew Stevens and drummer Erik Doob. Jazz lovers can look forward to a great evening of original oriental jazz.