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Saxophonist Melissa Aldana was born in Santiago, Chile, and came to the US to study at Berklee; in 2013, after having already made two albums for Greg Osby's Inner Circle label, she was the first South American musician and the first female musician to win the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Saxophone Competition, which earned her a contract with Concord Records. Her latest release, her fifth album overall, is Visions, which got its start as a suite commissioned by the Jazz Gallery, and is partly inspired by the life and art of Frida Kahlo. The band on the album includes pianist Sam Harris, vibraphonist Joel Ross, bassist Pablo Menares, and drummer Tommy Crane.

In this interview, we talk about a lot of different subjects, including her various albums, her particular approach to the saxophone and to music in general, being married to another saxophonist (Jure Pukl), and much more. I hope you'll enjoy it.

This episode is sponsored by nugs.net - visit nugs.net/burningambulance to get 35% off a year's subscription.

Music heard in this episode:

Melissa Aldana, "Visions" (Visions)

Melissa Aldana, "La Madrina" (Visions)

Melissa Aldana, "Elsewhere" (Visions)