Cristina Morrison
Baronesa (Jazzheads Records, 2015)
Baronesa is the concept album by actress and singer-songwriter Cristina Morrison. She fuses contemporary jazz with Latin American music genres such as bossa nova, tango, cha cha cha, and bolero; along with a little flamenco and pop.
Although smooth jazz and accessible bossa blanquet parts of the album, there are moments when the music grabs your attention as in the opening track, “Corcovado” where electric jazz-rock fusion-style bass and electric piano. Other highlights include the trip hop beats in “Cry Me a River.”
The album title, Baronesa, refers to Cristina Morrison’s theatrical representation of Baroness Eloise Von Wagner de Bosquet who lived in the Galapagos Islands. Morrison spent 7 years in the Galapagos as well. “The islands enchanted me and I lived there for 7 years. Since then, the islands have been an important part in my creative process; you could call them “my muse”. It is where I write and compose with my “partners in crime”, dream, think, breath, find silence in nature,” reveals Cristina Morrison.
Cristina Morrison is totally committed to contributing to the environmental and social conscience of Galapagos’ children. She supports an educational arts program called Arteducarte in all the public schools of Isabela Island. A percentage of the proceeds from her records sales helps sustain the program annually.
The lineup on Baronesa includes Cristina Morrison on vocals and spoken word; Misha Piatigorsky on piano, keyboards and percussion; Conor Rayne on drums and cajon; Willard Dyson on drums; Ari Hoenig on drums; Rudy Royston on drums; Danton Boller on bass; Edward Perez on bass; Sergio Brandao on bass; Ron Affif on guitar; Mark Hermann on guitar; Joel Frahm on saxophones; Tatum Greenblatt on trumpet; Magnus Lindgren on flute; Mauricio Herrera on percussion; Victor Prieto on accordion; and Frederika Frier on violin.
Cristina Morrison will present Baronesa at Rockwood Music Hall, Stage 3 (196 Allen Street, New York City) on Tuesday, September 29th, 2015 at 8:30PM.
Baronesa is a multi-layered cross-genre album that brings together the musics of North and South America, inspired by the beauty of the Galapagos Islands.
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
