Much of Luciana Souza’s work is informed by literature. Her 2000 album is comprised of songs inspired by the poems of Elizabeth Bishop. A 2004 album entitled Neruda is based on the writings of that famous Chilean writer. “Literature has been present in my life through everything I do. My mother was a poet and so many lessons she taught me were imparted through lines of poetry. My life is marked by poetry. The Bishop album began mostly as an exercise at home, and it grew from there. Words and language are a way for me to get to other things.”
When I asked Luciana if she has had to struggle as a woman in the male-dominated jazz world, particularly since she is a composer and musician as well as a singer, her response was well-thought out; clearly this was a question she had fielded before. "This is something [fellow jazz musician] Maria Schneider and I talk about quite a bit. I’ve felt this more because I was a singer, rather than because I’m a woman. That is why I wanted to be an educated musician, and that became genderless. I hang with men all the time and have no issues at all. I want to be a complete woman, like my mother who was the most feminist and most feminine. I teach women a lot — Berklee used to have a 10:2 men to women ratio, now it is 6:4 — and when I work with these students, I hope to help lift them from this place of feeling inferior. I watch out for the women in the room, I’m always trying to even it out."
What’s next for Luciana Souza? She just finished recording her most recent album which was produced by her husband Larry Klein. It is a collection of songs from North American singer-songwriters, such as Randy Newman Leonard Cohen, Paul Simon and Joanie Mitchell. These are the artists she came into adulthood listening to. “I wanted do them all as Bossa Novas, with the idea of transparency, of lifting the poetry of the song. You will hear a Joanie Mitchell song that is familiar, but it is not in her voice but mine, with my Braziliana quiet and calm. We chose vibey songs that read like the chapters of a book. The thread that ties them together is the voice that speaks stories being told.”
When asked why the Bossa Nova she replied, “I gravitate to songs that tell stories of loss. The Bossa Nova tells of hopeful loss. The songs sound confessional but still have a certain distance.” Souza is very happy with the result. “We took it slower this time, adding colors that are really simple but sound exquisite. It’s like an elegant piece of small jewelry; nothing huge or loud, but really quite beautiful. I wanted to touch people like these songwriters have, and pay homage to their poetry.” The recording is due to be released in late April, early May 2007. “It’s a beauty. I’ve never been this happy…but I always say this,” she says with a laugh.
Article comments