Apr 29, 2025 11:53 AM
Vocalist Andy Bey Dies at 85
Singer Andy Bey, who illuminated the jazz scene for five decades with a four-octave range that encompassed a bellowing…
Chilean-born vocalist Claudia Acuña has recorded En Este Momento (At This Moment) for Marsalis Music, set for an April 7 release. This 10 song collection, produced by Branford Marsalis, showcases Acuña’s talent for fusing maximum emotion into both Spanish and English lyrics.
A New York City resident since 1995, Acuña has fashioned En Este Momento with lyrics in English and Spanish. I’ve always dreamed of being a singer, and when I discovered jazz and the greatest jazz singers I could not believe the freedom they could find in every song,” Acuña said. “I love jazz’s tradition, but I always promised myself that my music would pay tribute to who I am, which is why all of my albums contain at least one song from South America.”
En Este Momento shows Acuña collaborating with a lineup of musicians who have formed a strong bond over the past decade, including Jason Lindner (piano), Juancho Herrera (guitar/mandolin), Omer Avital (bass), and Clarence Penn (drums, cajon, percussion). Additional guests Edgardo “Yayo” Serko (cajon, bombo leguero, palmas) and Branford Marsalis (soprano saxophone) contribute extra spice to the mix. To pay homage to her roots, Claudia chose several Spanish-language classics such as “La Mentira,” written by Alvaro Carrillo Alarcon, and three songs by Victor Jara, who has been called the Bob Dylan of Chile. “I always promised myself that I would honor my background,” she said, “and I’ve gone from the point where there were always one or two songs in Spanish to where there are always one or two in English. But I don’t want to lock myself into a formula because my growth has been organic, like a seed that produces more leaves, branches and flowers with each year.”
To listen to the first single from the album, “Tulum,” click here.
“It kind of slows down, but it’s still kind of productive in a way, because you have something that you can be inspired by,” Andy Bey said on a 2019 episode of NPR Jazz Night in America, when he was 80. “The music is always inspiring.”
Apr 29, 2025 11:53 AM
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