Latinas in the Jazz World

If the number of visas stamped on a well-used passport and frequent flier miles compiled are measures of success, then the young Latina jazz saxophonist known around the world as Jessy J is truly a rising star. On the day LATINA Style caught up with her, Jessy was waiting to board a flight for an engagement at a private party where she would back singer Michael Bolton. “I’ve been in his band for three years now, and we’re like a family,” she says cheerily. “He’s always very passionate about what he does, and every night, no matter what city we’re in, he performs at a very high level. He’s someone I like to emulate.”

Whether performing with stars like Bolton, Jessica Simpson, Michael Bublé or the Temptations, appearing at major international jazz festivals with her own band, or working on her next recording, Jessy’s example defines combination of natural talent and gritty determination that she and other Latina are mustering to make their mark in music.

In LATINA Style’s annual survey of up-and-coming talent on the music scene, we profile four multi-talented Latinas who are forging strong identities as Latin jazz artists. We gain insights into how their unique skills and strong determination are being put to work to score successes in a fiercely competitive area at a time when economic woes are putting additional pressure on the entertainment business. We also learn what inspires them, how they’ve made tough career choices, and what challenges they see in the future.

In California’s Bay Area, long a mecca of cutting edge trends in contemporary music styles, two strong-willed Latinas are taking different paths to establish themselves as vocalists in the small but culturally-important Latin jazz movement. Kat Parra, a composer and singer who performs in Spanish, Portuguese, French and the ancient Ladino tongue, is attracting attention as an exponent of a style that can be traced to the centuries old Sephardic Jewish culture of Spain of the 15th Century. Anna Estrada, meanwhile, is charting a more conventional path in Latin jazz, performing a well known repertoire in a variety of languages and styles. It’s her background that sets her apart from her peers: Off the bandstand, the singer is Dr. Estrada, an experienced physician who today balances her work as an anesthesiologist with her developing her lifelong passion for music into a full-time career.

On the East Coast, one dynamic New York City-based artist is staking out a dramatically different stylistic persona in her quest to become a household name. Sofía Rei Koutsovitis, an Argentine composer and singer, is known for mixing the folkloric idioms of her country and such lands as Colombia into the flow of contemporary jazz styles. Sofía is banking on her singular vocal style and intimate familiarity with a wide range of Latin American folk music idioms to propel her to the next level. On her sonically bracing new album, Sube Azul, Sofía blends the soulful spirit of South America’s Nueva Canción movement with vocal improvisational techniques related to modern jazz on tracks that capture a wide range of moods, from the festive feel of the Afro-Peruvian-inspired works to the moody balladry.

“All of my grandparents were Europeans who came to Argentina looking for better opportunities in between the two World wars,” she explains. “My grandparents from my father’s side were Greek, and my grandparents from my mother’s side were from Spain. My mom is a philosopher, a college professor and a writer. My father was a civil engineer, and he had his own construction company. I grew up in Buenos Aires and started studying music when I was very young. I realized that I really enjoyed singing.” She briefly studied classical music and sang in some small opera productions, but an opportunity to work on a Masters program at the prestigious New England Conservatory of Music in Boston brought her to the U.S. “Life takes you to places you wouldn’t have imagined,” she adds. “I got intrigued by jazz and vocal improvisation, and developed a passion for that style of music.”

One thing she particularly enjoys about New York City is that all of her music personalities can be nourished in one place. “It’s true that New York is ‘The City of Struggle’ for artists,” she confides. “And every musician in the world dreams of coming here and making an impact. But, the happy reality is that if one day I want to sing Brazilian sambas, I know where to go. If I decide to learn more about drumming from the coast of Peru, I will find the right musicians for it. Some people know me as a jazz vocalist and as an improviser. Some people call me to sing salsa, Brazilian music, Moroccan music, or Colombian music. Others know me for my own projects and my work as a composer and songwriter. I love that flexibility. It could only happen here.”

After an emotionally-trying divorce, the remedy for vocalist and composer Kat Parra’s soul was the jazz program at Northern California’s San Jose State University. She had spent years playing the piano, guitar and flute, but Kat made a wise choice when she decided to focus her passion for music on developing her voice. The fruits of those efforts have made the singer one of the Bay Area’s most successful Latin jazz artists, and that’s saying a lot. Since the time four decades ago when the region spawned such singular talents as Carlos Santana, Sheila E and a bevy of world class musicians, the Bay Area has seen a prodigious outpouring of music innovation.

“The San Francisco Bay Area has produced a unique sound,” Kat states. “We have such a great mix of ethnicities and we embrace our differences and welcome them into our music. There are so many talented musicians who want to collaborate and share their sounds with each other.”

Kat’s latest recording provides dramatic evidence of what sets her apart. Dos Amantes features her latest group, the Sephardic Music Experience, and focuses on the long neglected music tradition of Spain’s Sephardic Jews, a nomadic people whose roots lie in North Africa and the Middle East. Kat’s vocal technique radiates the mystic essence of a program of traditional tunes, sung both in Spanish and Ladino and set to a wide range of world music rhythms, from Afro-Peruvian and rumba to flamenco. The presence of violin and flute in her ensemble further amplifies the Middle Eastern flavor of the arrangements. “The uniqueness of the Sephardic music,” she believes, “blended with a Latin feel also creates a new and intriguing sound for listeners.” Many critics agree. “It’s a tremendously intriguing corner of world music,” wrote reviewer Paul Freeman of The Daily News. She infuses the ancient, Spanish-flavored sound with contemporary jazz shadings. The results are riveting.”

Of Jewish, Ashkenazi and Sephardic descent, Kat identifies herself as a musician first, a Latina second. “My father was a very accomplished classical pianist as well as a wonderful singer,” she notes. “He never pursued it beyond a hobby, but he could have. Both of my parents have been very supportive of me as an artist which has allowed me to take risks that I might not have taken otherwise.” She projects the image of a strong, independent woman who is not afraid to reach for her dreams. “My goal in life, as well as my music, is to embrace all peoples, men and women of all colors and beliefs.”

Another emerging Bay Area singer, Anna Estrada, boasts a more traditional background as a Latina closely tied to her family and heritage. Her mother was born in Mexico, her father in Texas. Although born in San Diego, as a young girl, Anna attended school, off and on, in both Tijuana and Mexico City. Today, she credits her hard working parents for inspiring her to pursue a career in medicine.

“My parents were working class people who had not had the opportunities for advanced formal education in their own lives,” she recalls. “But they strongly encouraged their children to educate ourselves. When it became clear academics were easy for me, it was always assumed I would go to college.” Her father’s common sense outlook on life, however, led him to view with suspicion Anna’s desire to study acting and poetry. “He felt strongly that going to an arts college was not a practical pursuit. So, both of them were very proud when I graduated from college, and even more happy when I graduated from medical school.”

Anna’s interest in music stems from her mother, who had a lovely voice and dreamed of being an opera singer before leaving school after the sixth grade to take a job as a maid to help support the growing family. Anna’s new album, Obsesión, is a fruitful fusion of her two loves—Brazilian music and Latin jazz. She sings with a rich, full-bodied voice that would make her mother proud on a program of bolero, bossa and jazz classics. “I continue to be fortunate to have a ‘day’ job—working as a physician—that pays the bills while I pursue my music career,” she admits. And that goal, particularly in such a frenetic music market as San Francisco, has proven to many to be elusive. “Even though this city is a smaller universe compared to New York, it is still difficult,” she adds. “There is so much talent, so many vocalists. For a lesser known artist breaking out of the pack is challenging. At times it feels like a real slog, but I’m hoping eventually the hard work will pay off.”

It would be easy to understand if the Anna Estradas of the world would feel a tinge of envy when they consider the career success Jessy J has forged. With her new album True Love riding high on the smooth jazz charts and such hit tunes as “Tequila Moon” and “Tropical Rain” getting massive exposure on radio stations across the country, the fetching young instrumentalist seems to have it all. As with most success stories, however, Jessy’s rise to the top has been the product of a lot of hard work and a never ending focus on accomplishing her goals.

Born Jessica Spinella in Portland, Oregon, she was nurtured in a home where her Tejana mother and Mexican father listened to everything from Placido Domingo to Los Panchos. “It was very eclectic,” she recalls. “We had a big family, and everyone loved music, and many times we’d have live bands play for family parties.”

Jessy started taking piano lessons at the age of four. Her love affair with the saxophone began when she and her sister decided to sign up for their school’s music program. “It’s kind of funny,” she recalls today. “Because when I was in the third grade, I didn’t even know what a saxophone was. My sister wanted to play the drums, and I wanted to play the flute. But the music teacher said that there were already too many people playing those instruments, so my sister got the clarinet and I was told to play the saxophone.” She immediately liked the sound the instrument produced, and she began an ongoing effort to discover all of the recorded riches that famous saxophone players had produced over the years.

Jessy accepted a scholarship to study music at the University of Southern California, where she graduated as the “Most Outstanding Jazz Student” of her class. She was also a member of such elite performance groups as the Henry Mancini Jazz Orchestra and the Hispanic Musician Association (HMA) Jazz Orchestra.

Today, Jessy is increasingly adding the breezy sound of the flute to her instrumental arsenal. She’s also starting to dance and sing more as part of her stage presentation. “It’s all coming together,” she says happily. “I grew up doing gymnastics and ballet, and I performed in an off Broadway show for about three years right after I graduated from USC, touring Japan, England and the U.S. It was my first real taste of being a professional entertainer. So, it makes sense that I should incorporate those skills into what I’m doing in my performances as an instrumentalist.”

Jessy’s success as a recording artist has come under the banner of what’s known as “Smooth Jazz.” The three decade-old genre is a stylistic variant that utilizes R&B, funk and Latin rhythms and puts a premium on listener-friendly performances that stress romantic melodies and silky instrumental performances. But the young saxophonist adamantly refuses to be exclusively tied to the label. “I don’t really consider it ‘Smooth Jazz,’” she asserts. “To me, jazz is jazz, and improvisation is the backbone of jazz. As long as people are playing from their heart, it will always reach out to other people. And that’s always been my goal, to just create good music.”