Update: Due to concerns about the coronavirus, these concerts have been postponed.
Last Saturday The Soraya’s onstage Jazz Club presented Chilean singer/songwriter Camila Meza. They continue that series with another Chilean, saxophone player Melissa Aldana, who performs on Thursday and Friday night.
The concert she will be performing is called Visions for Frida Kahlo. This is a suite she composed to honor the famous artist and her work. Visions is also the name of her first quartet album released in 2019.
Surrounded by all male musicians on the recording she draws parallels between herself as a female instrumentalist in the primarily male-driven world of jazz saxophone to that of Kahlo forging her way in the male-dominated art world.
Brian Zimmerman in Jazziz Magazine said of this project, “With its richly textured soundscapes and emotionally arresting material, Visions makes a clear connection to Kahlo and other Latina pathbreakers past and present… Melissa Aldana [is] a bandleader and musician at the top of her game.”
Aldana won the prestigious Thelonious Monk International Jazz Saxophone Competition in 2013.
As a reminder, the audience will be seated on stage with Aldana.
In addition to her two performances at The Soraya, Aldana will also perform on March 11th at La Jolla’s Auditorium at The Scripps Research Institute.
For tickets on Thursday night at The Soraya go here.
For tickets on Friday night at The Soraya go here.
Photo of Melissa Aldana by Fanny Delsol (Courtesy of The Soraya)