Caribe

Cuban composer/cellist/singer Ana Carla Maza reconnects to her Havana upbringing and Latin American heritage with Caribe, a self-produced album featuring a vibrant brass-heavy quartet. The recording pays homage to Afro-Cuban descarga jams of the 1950s while exploring the rich rhythms of the Caribbean, Argentinean tangos, and hints of Brazilian bossa-jazz and samba, resulting in a joyful musical fusion.

Distinguished Cuban cellist and composer Ana Carla Maza has announced the launch of her latest album titled Caribe. The album was conceived, written, and recorded ‘on the go’, during a flight to Mexico, by the shores of Lake Annecy (France), from a castle in Portugal – a foreseeable and flawless creative approach that matches Ana Carla’s vibrant energy and restless philosophy towards life and music.

She assembled an impressive ensemble of musicians to capture this invigorating chapter of her career focused on Latin music. The lineup includes a drummer from Guadeloupe, Arnauld Dolmen; two Cuban artists, percussionist Luis Guerra and saxophonist/flutist Irving Acao; Norman Peplow, a German pianist who has an affection for Honduras; a trombone player from the south of France named Fidel Fourneyron; and Noé Clerc on the accordion. Naturally, Ana Carla leads with her cello and provides the heartfelt vocals in this extraordinary love letter.

Having received a classical education, Ana Carla took her initial musical strides while growing up in the ever-resonating ‘rumbero’ neighborhood of Guanabacaoa, Havana. She vividly recalls gazing out of her beloved grandmother’s living room window, listening to and observing Afro-Cuban ceremonial music and rituals (santería), which took place in the building across from hers. At the tender age of 5, her parents (Mirza Sierra, conductor of a children’s choir, and Carlos Maza, jazz composer and instrumentalist) introduced her to the piano with the assistance of Miriam Valdés, sister of the legendary Chucho Valdés. At 8 years old, she plucked her first cello string, despite the instrument dwarfing her in size, and it soon became her instrument of choice.

Ana Carla embodies the essence of a cellist in the conventional and natural sense. She eschews electronic manipulation or looping of the instrument, focusing instead on honing her craft. When she was 12 years old, Ana Carla and her family relocated from Cuba to Spain, and at the age of 16, armed with her cello and a sense of purpose, she set off in pursuit of her musical dreams in Paris. She successfully passed the necessary examinations and enrolled at the French Conservatoire of Music. Her time studying and performing in the French capital marked the beginning of a journey filled with creativity and captivating performances, which she continues to this day. At just 28 years old, she has an extensive touring schedule and an impressive recording history. Caribe marks her third album release in the span of 3 years.