a l e a

After a very successful tour in three cities of Colombia— Bogotá, Barranquilla, and Medellín—during the first two weeks of September 2016, the Colombian jazz singer and composer a l e a crafts new music that will unravel a colorful experience of bullerengue and cumbia with a more soulful approach. The Colombian-born and raised artist from Barrancas, La Guajira had lived in Boston during her studies at Berklee College of Music and made her move recently to New York City. Her work has been inspired by the multiple colors, rhythms, and sounds of Colombian landscapes and the cultural diversity of New York. This first album carries within its lyrics and harmonies the essence of a generation that has opened itself to a dance between cultures connected through jazz, cumbia, and poetry. It is a collection of seven musical pieces that thrive boldly at the intersection of both musical and literary worlds. This signifies an exciting era for Colombian music, which has defined itself more within folkloric traditions and today flowers in new musical possibilities. The a l e a sextet comprises musicians from Peru, Argentina, Venezuela, Mexico, and Colombia. Together they embody a true fusion of contemporary Latin jazz styles and Colombian traditional music.

a l e a has given stunning performances in places like the Louis Armstrong Wonderful World Festival (New York), the International Literature and Culture Fest (Medellín, Colombia), Worcester's Mechanics Hall (Worcester, Massachusetts), Assembly Row - Berklee Summer in the City Series, Out of the Box, and the Latin America VIVE Music Festival (Boston). She has also shared the stage with well known and Grammy-Award nominated/winning artists like Totó La Momposina, Gregorio Uribe, Sinuhé Padilla, Pablo Mayor, and Alex Alvear's Mango Blue.

Listen to a l e a perform Navegando Bocabajo: