Skip to content
CapRadio

CapRadio

listen live donate
listen live donate
listen live
donate
  • News
    • News

    • State Government
    • Environment
    • Health Care
    • Race and Equity
    • Business
    • Arts and Lifestyle
    • Food and Sustainability
    • PolitiFact California
    News
    • News

    • State Government
    • Environment
    • Health Care
    • Race and Equity
    • Business
    • Arts and Lifestyle
    • Food and Sustainability
    • PolitiFact California
  • Music
    • Music

    • Classical
    • Jazz
    • Eclectic

    • Daily Playlist
    Music
    • Music

    • Classical
    • Jazz
    • Eclectic

    • Daily Playlist
  • Podcasts & Shows
  • Schedules
  • Events
  • Support
    • Support
    • Ways to support
    • Evergreen Donation
    • One-Time Donation
    • Corporate Sponsorship
    • Vehicle Donation
    • Stock Giving
    • Legacy Giving
    • Endowment Support
    • Members
    • Member Benefits
    • Member FAQ
    • Member Newsletter

    • Fund drives
    • Drawing Winners
    • Thank You Gifts
    Support
    • Support
    • Ways to support
    • Evergreen Donation
    • One-Time Donation
    • Corporate Sponsorship
    • Vehicle Donation
    • Stock Giving
    • Legacy Giving
    • Endowment Support
    • Members
    • Member Benefits
    • Member FAQ
    • Member Newsletter

    • Fund drives
    • Drawing Winners
    • Thank You Gifts
  • About
  • Close Menu

Speak No Evil Jazz blog

Capital Public Radio's discussion of an art form born in America and celebrated worldwide.

subscribe

 We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter 
 We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter 

A Sax Trio Taps Tradition While Thriving In The Present

Thursday, July 17, 2014
Listen
/
Update RequiredTo play audio, update browser or Flash plugin.
Courtesy Of The Artist
 

Courtesy Of The Artist

NPR Music | Tom Moon

Melissa Aldana, who became the first female instrumentalist and first South American musician to win the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Saxophone Competition last fall, is not the average talent-contest winner.

Aldana plays tenor saxophone — which is unusual enough by itself, jazz still being mostly a boy's club. On top of that, she has a big, fierce sound that carries echoes of nearly forgotten swing-era players like Don Byas, and she's got a distinct style accented by long, cleanly executed melodic lines.

One significant thing about Melissa Aldana & Crash Trio's self-titled debut album is what's missing: There's no piano or harmony instrument. Some of Aldana's favorite musicians recorded in similar settings; she says it's an important step in her evolution, and that she likes the responsibility of outlining the chords, as well as the freedom to change them.

 

Aldana began playing at age 6 and was first taught by her father, a well-known saxophonist in Santiago, Chile. She spent her teen years participating in her hometown's jazz scene, later going on to graduate from Berklee College of Music in Boston. She moved to New York and recorded several albums on Greg Osby's Inner Circle label, which led her to the Monk competition. Around that time, she also formed Crash Trio with Chilean bassist Pablo Menares and Cuban drummer Francisco Mela.

The band members are clearly dialed into each other's thoughts: They'll venture back to the smoky taverns of a bygone era, where tenor players howled their seductions, then abruptly pivot into more agitated, modern rhythms. While it's not a radically new direction, there's boldness in the steps. You can hear Aldana and her group tap into the jazz tradition, but they thrive in the hyperlinked global present.

 jazz

Sign up for ReCap and never miss the top stories

Delivered to your inbox every Friday.

 

Check out a sample ReCap newsletter.

Thanks for subscribing!

Thank you for signing up for the ReCap newsletter! We'll send you an email each Friday with the top stories from CapRadio.

Browse all newsletters

More From CapRadio Music

Nicholai Hammar/NPR

Lara Downes' season 3 of 'Amplify' launches with a theme of renaissance

February 02, 2023
Photo by Emmanuelle Yang

How June Swoon singer Juli Lydell started swimming in surrender

February 03, 2023
We Get Support From:
Become a Supporter

More From CapRadio Music

Nicholai Hammar/NPR

Lara Downes' season 3 of 'Amplify' launches with a theme of renaissance

February 02, 2023
Photo by Emmanuelle Yang

How June Swoon singer Juli Lydell started swimming in surrender

February 03, 2023

Back to Top

  • CapRadio

    7055 Folsom Boulevard
    Sacramento, CA 95826-2625

    •  
      (916) 278-8900
    •  
      (877) 480-5900
    •  Contact / Feedback
    •  Submit a News Tip
  • About

    • Mission / Vision / Core Values
    • Stations & Coverage Map
    • Careers & Internships
    • Staff Directory
    • Board of Directors
    • Press
  • Listening Options

    • Mobile Apps
    • Smart Speakers
    • Podcasts & Shows
    • On-Air Schedules
    • Daily Playlist
    • Signal Status
  • Connect

    •  Facebook
    •  Twitter
    •  Instagram
    •  YouTube
  • Donate

  • Listen Live

  • Newsletters

CapRadio stations are licensed to California State University, Sacramento. © 2023, Capital Public Radio. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Website Feedback FCC Public Files: KXJZ KKTO KUOP KQNC KXPR KXSR KXJS. For assistance accessing our public files, please call 916-278-8900 or email us.