MELISSA ALDANA
Melissa Aldana
Melissa Aldana is a Grammy-nominated Chilean-born tenor saxophonist, composer, and bandleader based in New York City, recognized as one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary jazz. She began playing saxophone at age six under her father Marcos Aldana, a professional saxophonist, and went on to study at Berklee College of Music before moving to New York in 2009, where she studied with George Coleman and quickly rose through the jazz scene. In 2013, she became the first female musician and the first South American to win the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Saxophone Competition, earning a Concord Jazz recording contract. Her sound — inspired by Sonny Rollins and influenced by Latin rhythms — blends post-bop saxophone mastery with cinematic lyricism. She has collaborated extensively across the contemporary jazz ecosystem, recording with figures including Joel Ross (Visions, 2019), Danilo Pérez, and Terri Lyne Carrington. Her 2022 Blue Note debut '12 Stars' and her 2024 album 'Echoes of the Inner Prophet' earned widespread critical praise. Her 2026 album Filin represents her most personal work yet, drawing from the Cuban filin tradition and her own introspective compositions. She teaches at Berklee and is an active advocate for diversity in jazz.
Bio
Melissa Aldana is a Grammy-nominated Chilean-born tenor saxophonist, composer, and bandleader based in New York City, recognized as one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary jazz. She began playing saxophone at age six under her father Marcos Aldana, a professional saxophonist, and went on to study at Berklee College of Music before moving to New York in 2009, where she studied with George Coleman and quickly rose through the jazz scene. In 2013, she became the first female musician and the first South American to win the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Saxophone Competition, earning a Concord Jazz recording contract. Her sound — inspired by Sonny Rollins and influenced by Latin rhythms — blends post-bop saxophone mastery with cinematic lyricism. She has collaborated extensively across the contemporary jazz ecosystem, recording with figures including Joel Ross (Visions, 2019), Danilo Pérez, and Terri Lyne Carrington. Her 2022 Blue Note debut '12 Stars' and her 2024 album 'Echoes of the Inner Prophet' earned widespread critical praise. Her 2026 album Filin represents her most personal work yet, drawing from the Cuban filin tradition and her own introspective compositions. She teaches at Berklee and is an active advocate for diversity in jazz.
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