Zurich Jazz Orchestra feat. Melissa Aldana

At the end of the year, the Zurich Jazz Orchestra presents the Grammy-nominated Blue Note artist Melissa Aldana - one of the most innovative and independent jazz musicians on the international scene.

Born in Santiago de Chile, the saxophonist comes from a family of musicians: her father and grandfather were both saxophonists. She began playing the saxophone at the age of six under her father's guidance. Initially influenced by Charlie Parker and Cannonball Adderley on the alto saxophone, she switched to the tenor saxophone after hearing Sonny Rollins. As a teenager, she played in jazz clubs in Santiago and was invited by pianist Danilo Pérez to perform at the Panama Jazz Festival in 2005.

She later moved to the USA to study at Berklee College of Music. She released her debut album "Free Fall“ in 2010. At the age of just 24, she was the first instrumentalist and first South American musician to win the prestigious Thelonious Monk International Jazz Saxophone Competition. The Washington Post praised her as representing a new sense of possibility and a new direction in jazz. Her album Visions (2019) earned her a Grammy nomination in the Best Improvised Jazz Solo category. Nate Chinen (NPR Music) called it one of the best jazz albums of the year and praised Aldana's ability to combine technical brilliance with a rich emotional palette.

The concert program she is presenting with the Zurich Jazz Orchestra at Moods was written entirely by her. One part was arranged by Jim McNeely for the HR Big Band, the other by Ed Partyka especially for the ZJO and its soloists.