A wonderfully nuanced and diverse collection of music spanning many of Olivia’s own musical interests, this extraordinary recording explores the marriage of flamenco music and Latin jazz with Spanish folk traditions and classical music, creating a universal sound with no musical boundaries.

Hailed as a “Spanish virtuoso” who adds “a flamenco touch to chamber jazz” (The Arts Fuse), Olivia captures the indigenous Catalan sounds of her hometown of Barcelona, Spain.

Growing up amongst the sounds of flamenco, along with her studying classical piano, Olivia has always held a life-long passion for the fusion of musical styles, including jazz. According to composer Osvaldo Golijov, her music “is a striking and gorgeous distillation of profound lyricism and rhythms that are ferocious and elegant at the same time.”

Olivia puts her captivating technique and artistry on full display on her new recording. With OLIVIA the pianist stays true to the Spanish influences that have shaped her artistic sound and identity as a musician; the recording also makes some exotic escapes to India and the Middle East.

1. Promenade 1
2. Cançó i Dansa VI
3. Promenade 2
4. Angelico (Tangos a Mompou)
5. Promenade 3
6. Combat del Somni
7. Promenade 4
8. Le Tombeau de Couperin
9. Together
10. Promenade 5
11. Granada
12. Promenade 6
13. Barcelona

Produced by Grammy nominee Gonzalo Grau and recorded in 2021-22, the selections being released include a handful of original songs by Olivia, and arrangements of pieces by Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) and Frederic Mompou (1893-1987), one of the most universal Catalan composers.

This innovative repertoire opens on the short, but oh-so sweet piano solo Promenade 1 and the fully-charged Cançó i Dansa VI and then brings us the dulcet Promenade 2, the organically magnificent Angelico (Tangos a Mompou), and both the third short solo Promenade 3 and the aching yearn found within Combat del Somni.

Olivia’s work has allowed her to branch out to musicians all over the world. 18 of today’s finest international artists can be heard collaborating in the material she chose to record on Olivia.

Along next is the fourth solo Promenade 4 and the flourishing Le Tombeau de Couperin and they are in turn backed by the emphatically-charged, Eastern-imbibed Together, another slice of sheer solo magnificence within Promenade 5, the rhythmic Granada, the recording rounding out on the final Promenade 6, coming to a close on the album’s emotional centerpiece, Barcelona. [Which is itself a tribute to the composer’s hometown where classical music arrangements are performed by a small chamber ensemble laced with the rhythms of traditional flamenco music, vocals, and hand clapping].

Official Purchase Link

www.oliviaperezcollellmir.com

Olivia Pérez-Collellmir @ Facebook