Bill Milkowski for Paste – #1 Melissa Aldana, Visions (Motema Music)
The Chilean-born saxophonist-composer-bandleader turned heads with her 2009 debut, Free Fall, and in 2013 became the first female musician and the first South American musician to win the prestigious Thelonious Monk International Jazz Saxophone Competition. She gained widespread acclaim for her 2014 outing Melissa Aldana & The Crash Trio (with Cuban drummer Francisco Mela and Chilean bassist Pablo Menares) then took things up a notch on 2016’s Back Home. Now with Visions, the Santiago native delivers with passionate intensity on pieces inspired by and dedicated to Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. Originally commissioned by New York’s The Jazz Gallery as part of its residency program for emerging artists, Aldana’s suite “Visions: For Frida Kahlo” connects her work to the legacy of Latina artists who have come before her. “I’m deliberately creating a parallel between my experiences as a female saxophone player surrounded by male peers in a male-dominated community and culture, and Kahlo’s experiences as a female visual artist working to assert herself in a landscape dominated by men,” she explained. Aldana’s potent tenor is paired on the frontline with Joel Ross’ vibraphone and underscored by the interactive rhythm section of pianist Sam Harris, bassist Pablo Menares and drummer Tommy Crane on her latest release. Highlights include the turbulent title track, the angular “Acceptance,” the rhythmically-charged “Elsewhere” and the adventurous nine-minute excursion “El Castillo de Velenje,” all featuring the leader exploring the full range of her horn with bold tones and spirited abandon. On the other end of the dynamic spectrum are the pensive and probing “Abre Tus Ojos” and the quintet’s daring extrapolation of the tender jazz standard “Never Let Me Go.” Another solid outing from the rising star. (Melissa Aldana’s Visions Quintet will have its record release party from May 23-26 at the Jazz Standard.)
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