By BEN ALLAWAY Register Staff Writer
Civic Music brought a major new jazz talent, Chilean singer Claudia Acuna, to Drake University's Sheslow Auditorium Saturday night.
Acuña has established herself on the New York club scene and since has recorded two albums on the Verve label. She didn't come to entertain - she came to love her audience with a quiet passion shared through her clear, true, expressive voice. Her stage presence was as subtle as the Latin rhythms that gently propelled many of her songs.
The program casually started with the musicians entering and preparing to play. Acuna began picking up various small gourds and shakers as if she were trying to choose which to use.
It eventually became clear that the piece had actually begun as patterns began to develop. This phenomenon recurred with the pianist, who seemed to be adjusting something inside the piano, but was actually dampening the strings to create an electronic-sounding rhythmic effect.
The bass slipped into a loose ostinato, adding only slightly to the clarity of the feel. The drummer began to expand on the material, revealing a complex structure.
Finally, Acuna approached the mic, collected herself, and then a gorgeous sound poured out, like melted dark chocolate - pure, rich, bittersweet.
"My romance," the first words of the song of the same name, hit like a ton of bricks. Not at all the expected Latin number, it was the deliciously familiar tune, sung over an incredible landscape of rhythm. The profound artistry and genius of concept was explosive.
The extended arrangement displayed Acuna's great natural gift for shaping words and melody. It also was an impressive introduction to Acuna's band: pianist and arranger Jason Linder; bassist John Benitez, a large, smiling presence; and drummer Gene Jackson.
The set continued with the poignant "Mariposa," or "butterfly," featuring incredible keyboard and vocals, alternating layers of ache and bliss; a blues-in-five arrangement of "As Long As You're Livin" " with a great chit-chatty bass solo;
"I Fall in Love Too Easily," in which Acuna's melancholy was so palpable that Linder's role became that of harmonic therapist, gentle chord changes creating a spiritual updraft just when needed.
The first set ended with two Latin compositions, "Maria, Maria," and Violetta Para's "Volver a los 17 (Going Back to 17)," both of which featured strong rhythms. Para's tune could be called Latin funk, with a great drum solo by Jackson, who also had equal mastery of understatement throughout the evening.
The second set began with "Meditation on Two Chords," featuring some brief scat-singing that showed Acuna's flexibility in the upper range on the word "fly," and a brighter bass solo.
"Prelude to a Kiss" brought down the house with Linder's complex but driving arrangement, more scat by Acuna and the overall sense that the group was finally cutting loose.
Notable for the originality of its harmony and texture, Djavan's "Lilas" confirmed Linder's genius as an arranger and pianist.
Benitez and Acuna were left alone onstage for the duet "Alfoncina y el mar," a haunting Chilean folk song that Acuna has used to bridge her two worlds of traditional Chilean culture and jazz. Both artists displayed great tenderness and revelled in their Latino muse.
The rollicking Latin tune "Nature Boy" closed the set, a perfect match for Acuna and her band, who enjoyed impromptu singing on this tune and the encore, the gorgeous "More Than You Know."
Ben Allaway is a free-lance writer from Des Moines.