Bimhuis Radio Live Concert - Melissa Aldana Quartet

This concert was live on the 24th of October 2019. Saxophonist Melissa Aldana can measure herself with tenor heroes of past and present, as first female winner of the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition. Melissa Aldana is one of the promising young musicians of the new jazz generation: Downbeat listed her as one of the ’25 for the Future’. On her recent album Visions she connects her work to the legacy of Latina artists that have come before her, including Frida Kahlo. Like the legendary painter, Melissa Aldana has had to assert herself in a landscape dominated by men: at age 24 she won the prestigious Thelonious Monk International Jazz Saxophone Competition, as the first woman and as the first South American musician. Melissa Aldana grew up in a family of saxophone players: both her father Marcos and her grandfather Enrique were professional musicians. Ten years ago she moved from Chili to New York, where she collaborated with known saxophone players such as George Coleman and Greg Osby. Following the example of her idol Sonny Rollins, she led in a trio for years. Visions is a new chapter in her career. ‘Melissa Aldana is going to be an influential tenor saxophonist in jazz for decades to come’ (JazzTimes). Melissa Aldana tenor sax, Lage Lund guitar, Pablo Menares bass, Kush Abadey drums