SANTA FE MUSIC COLLECTIVE Presents

A New Mexico Jazz Festival Event

It’s tempting to describe Claudia Villela as a musician’s musician, considering that some of her most ardent fans and supporters are also her most illustrious colleagues. Pat Metheny has sung Villela’s praises, as have Kenny Werner, Vitor Gonçalves, and Béla Fleck. The Brazilian-born vocalist, pianist, percussionist, and composer makes music of rare sophistication and beauty, and it’s as a performer that her transcendent gifts are most obvious, whether she’s spinning a new piece on stage with a fellow improviser or elaborating on an intricate setting for her poetic lyrics in Portuguese.

It’s an understatement to say she connects with her audience. She lights up the room while instantly getting the audience totally engaged. “You give her any musical idea, and Claudia completes it in a way that’s very beautiful,” says guitarist Romero Lubambo, who recently performed several concerts with Villela before recording a forthcoming duo album. “I can play any rhythm or sequence of chords and she’ll be on top of the music, creating a melody that makes sense. There are not a lot of people who can do that, but she did that. We’d just start playing and make the whole song in front of the audience.” And that’s just what happened at her Pre-Covid concert in Santa Fe with accordionist Vitor Gonçalves. SFMC is excited to bring back this amazing duo, this time to the beautiful stage of UNIT B.                                                                        

Claudia Villela & Vitor Gonçalves will also be appearing in partnership with SFMC at The Outpost Performance space on Thursday September 11th