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Melissa Aldana: Sound, Time, Ideas
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Melissa Aldana
saxophoneWhen a few years later she heard the
Sonny Rollins
saxophoneb.1930
Maybe because Melissa's own personal journey began so young, because she understood that jazz was in her family, or because she was drawn so naturally to that sound, Melissa never seemed to question her passion or her desire to devote her life to it. By the time she met the great pianist
Danilo Pérez
pianob.1966
But really it was her own drive and belief in what she was doing that led her out of Chile. As she says, the motivation has never been external. She's simply drawn to the music, to play, to practice as much as possible, to get in touch with the emotional intent. There must be something that feels so good about practicing saxophone because so many of the great sax players describe a kind of obsessive need to keep the horn in their mouth for hours and hours each day. And for Melissa, that is very real. She says she's happiest when she can practice for at least five hours a day, in pursuit of an ideal that is ever changing, eternally illusive and unreachable. But it's the pursuit itself that fuels the fire.
For Melissa, the pandemic brought personal turmoil, and she found herself broken, vulnerable, confronting what she describes as her "imperfections." She says "Embracing everything I hear, everything I play—even mistakes—is more meaningful than perfection."
Amidst all the Pandemic upheaval, she ended up turning not only to the technical aspects of her music but also the esoteric, the spiritual, and the cosmic. Numerology and therapeutic Tarot inspired the songs on her new record 12 Stars on Blue Note records. She says the record describes her journey through the pandemic. It grapples with concepts of child rearing, familial forgiveness, acceptance, and self-love.
Finding inspiration in unexpected places is not new for Melissa. Her last record, Visions, was inspired by the work of the Mexican painter Frida Kahlo. And, considering both Aldana and Kahlo are among only a small handful of Latin American females who thrived in a largely male dominated world, one might assume that was the tie that binds them. And Melissa was a member of
Artemis
band / ensemble / orchestra
Renee Rosnes
pianob.1962
But to Melissa, the "gender thing" as she calls it, has really been secondary all along.
She recognizes that she is a role model but she's unburdened by it, and, given the choice, seems like she would rather just be about the music and not all the identity questions. For Melissa, as she says repeatedly, the focus is on sound, time and ideas. Sound, time and ideas.
We spoke recently about growing up in Chile, her journey to America, practicing, teaching, numerology, playing the blues, "the gender thing," learning to embrace imperfection, her new record "12 Stars," her idea of success, and what she values most in music: sound, time and ideas.
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Melissa Aldana Concerts
Sep
19
Fri
Melissa Aldana Quartet - Chilean Jazz Series
Blues AlleyWashington, DC
Sep
19
Fri
Melissa Aldana Quartet - Chilean Jazz Series
Blues AlleyWashington, DC
Sep
20
Sat
Melissa Aldana Quartet - Chilean Jazz Series
Blues AlleyWashington, DC
Sep
20
Sat
Melissa Aldana Quartet - Chilean Jazz Series
Blues AlleyWashington, DC
Oct
8
Wed
Week I: Orrin Evans, Melissa Aldana, Robert Hurst &...
Smoke Jazz & Supper ClubNew York, NY
Oct
8
Wed
Week I: Orrin Evans, Melissa Aldana, Robert Hurst &...
Smoke Jazz & Supper ClubNew York, NY
Oct
9
Thu
Week I: Orrin Evans, Melissa Aldana, Robert Hurst &...
Smoke Jazz & Supper ClubNew York, NY
Oct
9
Thu
Week I: Orrin Evans, Melissa Aldana, Robert Hurst &...
Smoke Jazz & Supper ClubNew York, NY
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