Introducing Melissa Aldana

We are really happy to announce that we have started a collaboration with Chilean saxophonist & composer Melissa Aldana. Word of Mouth Music will be representing Melissa as her agent and management.

Melissa heralds from one of the most famous musical families in Chile. Her father Marco Aldana was one of the first Chilean jazz musicians to attain international recognition, and is still considered one of the most important musicians in Chile. He has passed his natural talent onto his daughter alongside a beautiful delacquered Selmer MKVI 58000 series that Melissa plays with a soulful, warm tone with a lot of woodwind qualities.

It is not just her playing that caught our ear. Her compositions seem to reside comfortably both in the new sounds of jazz of today, and in the traditions of the 60ties which many to this day still consider a heyday of jazz. She’s no traditionalist but she knows the tradition very well. Her music has wonderful lines, it breathes and has a remarkable sense of calm and maturity for such a young musician (Melissa was born in 1988). She cites Mark Turner and Michael Brecker as strong influences, and through them we think we hear – like a fine wine – strong notes of Joe Henderson being added to the picture. In other words – right up our alley!

And we are not the only people who think highly of Melissa – please read this great New York Times review of her recent performance at the Jazz Gallery in NYC.

Following her 2010 debut album “Free Fall, her new album entitled “Second Cycle” was released in November 2012 (also by Greg Osby’s label Inner Circle Music) – watch a video about Melissa and the album by clicking here with some interesting commentary from Greg Osby himself. New York Times also reviewed the album here.

Melissa is currently touring in her home country of Chile, and will be back in New York City in March, where she will continue to make appearances at clubs around the city + lead her own trio at Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola‘s late night set from March 26-30.