Bahía

"Ana Carla Maza's Bahía is a homage to a district in Havana that throbs with a multiplicity of musical styles - son, jazz, samba, bossa nova are a few of them - which she carries into her own compositional palate. Maza also adds influences from her classical cello studies in France to this musical heritage. Bahía is a tribute to the way in which these musics overlay one another to create newly balanced experiences each time ... Her Chilean father, Carlos Maza, is a pianist, her Cuban mother, Mirza Sierra, a guitarist - and so it's not surprising that several musical influences run through Bahía. What makes this album (...) special is its utter directness ... We hear not only classical references (there is a tiny bit of Bach elsewhere on the album), but flamenco, tango (there's an homage to Astor Piazzolla, with the cello imitating the accordion) and French chanson ('A Tomar Café' is a lovely example)".

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"'Bahía' takes you on a spellbinding journey through jazz, classical music and the rich cultures of Latin America. Recorded acoustically in Barcelona in one take, the album is astonishingly intimate and unflinchingly honest. Packed with personality, it effortlessly encapsulates feelings of love, heartbreak, despair and joy ... With voice and cello alone (bar the final track on piano), Maza creates a staggeringly full sound. Perfect without being over-thought, the space she achieves invites you into the very heart of the performance. The record opens with 'La Habana', where Maza was born 26 years ago. Title-track 'Bahía' follows and is an ode to the district in Havana where she spent her childhood. 'Huayno' is based on a Quechua rhythm and dance from Peru, 'Todo Irá Bien' draws on Cuban son and 'Astor Piazzola' on tango. 'Le Petit Français' is verdant beauty and 'A Tomar Café' is pure passion. All in all, Bahía is a seriously refreshing listen and a complete triumph".