Musical opportunities need to be grabbed when they arise, and sometimes those opportunities rarely become available. When a musician lives in our community, they perform often in easily accessible places. Since we realize that we can hear them perform regularly, we get our fill of their artistry on a reoccurring basis. These musicians become the bread and butter of our Latin Jazz experience, but we need to provide some variety to our live music repertoire. A particularly inspiring recording from artists that reside far from home often leaves us desiring a live performance, and we can only hope for a visit. When these wishes become a reality, we need to jump upon the opportunity; a traveling musician offers a unique chance for us since their appearances happen less frequently. We need to prioritize these events and make sure that we attend their shows. Sometimes artists make regular trips to our communities while other times they may only appear every few years. The first trip serves as the most important venture to support though; the financial success of that first venture may dictate the reality of upcoming events. When those rare first performances from a traveling musician occur, it’s an essential musical opportunity that we simply must support.

Latin Jazz fans in the Los Angeles area will get one of those rare musical opportunities this week when vocalist Venissa Santí performs at the Catalina Bar & Grill. Residing in the Philadelphia area, Santí has built an impressive artistic identity and strong following over the past few years. Born into a Cuban family, Santí grew up in Ithaca, New York, soaking up a diverse musical diet and eventually delving into songwriting and vocals. She moved to Philadelphia, where she majored in music at the University Of The Arts and developed her skills in jazz vocals. As her exposure grew, her appreciation for Cuban grandfather’s compositions blossomed into a major connection with her roots. She traveled to Cuba several times, studying traditional music, such as rumba and Santeria songs. The culmination of her studies, journeys, and personal exploration arose on the 2008 independent release of Bienvenida. Santí brought Cuban folklore, traditional jazz, rock-edged blues, and a soulful vocal approach together into an outstanding mixture that signaled the immergence of a distinctive voice. In 2009, Sunnyside Records re-released Bienvenida to a wider audience, garnering praise and appreciation for Santí’s skills. As the word of her musical presence expands, Santí is building a significant fan base and the demand for live performances has grown.

The Los Angeles area gets a treat this week as Santí travels to the West Coast for a rare performance, giving a lucky audience a must-hear musical opportunity. In order to encourage Los Angeles Latin Jazz fans to attend the show, we’re dedicating this week’s Latin Jazz Video Fix to Santí with three clips. The first video provides some background on Santí and features her band performing “Talkin’ To You.” The second clip highlights an interview between composer John Hollenbeck and Santí, in preparation for a piece that featured the singer. The last piece finds Santí singing as a guest with saxophonist Jane Bunnett and her group Spirits Of Havana. Hopefully Santí’s performance will encourage future return trips and maybe even a journey up to the San Francisco Bay Area – I’ll keep my fingers crossed. Enjoy!

———-
Interview With Venissa Santí And A Performance Of “Talkin’ to You”

Composer John Hollenbeck Interviews Venissa Santí

Venissa Santí Performing With Jane Bunnett At The Jazz Journalists Association Awards

———-
Want to hear more from Venissa Santí? Check out her album:

———-
Don’t Forget - Santí makes her West Coast premiere this week with a gig at The Catalina Bar & Grill. If you’re in the Los Angeles area, you don’t want to miss this one! Details are below:

VENISSA SANTÍ
Thursday 11/5/09
WHERE: Catalina Bar & Grill
6725 West Sunset Boulevard
Hollywood, CA
TIME: 8:00 p.m.
TICKETS: $20

———-
Do you have a video to contribute to satisfy our weekly Latin Jazz video fix? If so, send it in - it’s time to feed our addiction. I’m looking for live performances, from any context. I’ll most likely be posting one video per week, but if you’ve got another idea, let’s talk. So come on Latin Jazz videographers, musicians, and fans - let’s share some of our memorable videos! Get my contact info HERE

———-
Check Out These Related Posts:
Spotlight: Bienvenida, Venissa Santí
Focusing The Spotlight: A Little More About Venissa Santí
4 Latin Jazz Vocalists Forging Their Own Identity
Celebrating Women In Latin Jazz: 5 Top Female Artists

———-
Click here to have these posts delivered via email. Or, click here to subscribe to the full text RSS feed and never miss another post!

Stumble it!