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Eliana Cuevas- A New Voice on Canada’s World and Jazz Music SceneSomeday London's first Fiesta del Sol will be remembered for bringing Toronto Latin jazz singer Eliana Cuevas' group to London.London Free Press Aug. 2003Winner- Vocal Artist of the Year- Latin American Achievement Awards Canada 2003September 2003The explosion of world music in Canada in the last decade has given audiences access to a rich variety of great music from many countries and cultures. One of the things lacking has been a really stellar singer from Latin America. That position now looks like it could be filled by Venezuelan born Eliana Cuevas. Singing in Spanish, Portuguese and English; fluent in at least half a dozen Latin American musical forms, Eliana is stepping out from being merely a great singer to make her mark as band leader and songwriter. A student of music in Venezuela, Eliana came to Canada to study more academic subjects at the University of Toronto and graduated with distinction obtaining a Bachelor of Arts and Science in Ibero-American studies in 2002. She also continued her musical studies here and sang with pop artist Joée, Latin-jazz unit Cruzao, reggae group Tabarruk, Latin-folk band Cassava, salsa powerhouse Marrón Matizado, Latin-jazz unit Ritmo Azul, flamenco guitarist Jorge Miguel, salsa band Caché & the Brazilian outfit Pedras da Rua. In 2002 Eliana made her first recording as leader of her own ensemble. The CD was produced by Nick Ali and it features some of the best musicians in Toronto. The CD made it to the top of both of Toronto's independent radio stations- CKLN and CIUT. And what kind of music does Eliana Cuevas write and sing? What is important to her, what creates the foundation for her art, is turning the experiences she and the people around her have every day into singable songs. Family, death, love, betrayal, friendship, learning to give value to things- it's all there. In "He Aprendido" (I Have Learned) Eliana reflects on how her life has changed in her move from Venezuela to Canada. "Homero" is about her father. She wrote it at twelve on the first Father's Day after he had died. Modified since, it is something special and reflects the humanism that runs through her work- much closer to the concerns of a folk singer than a pop singer. She does not write in any specific genre but draws from every style she has listened to and admired. The music of Venezuela is there as is that of Cuba and Brazil. There is lots of jazz, particularly the Latin jazz created by the great divas-Elis Regina, Flora Purim, Celia Cruz. There is some Ella Fitzgerald and Aretha Franklin too. "It is about the feeling that the music transmits. When I write, I like to leave room for the listener to fill in their own meaning". The result is a branch of world music- impossible to precisely define, but compelling and beautiful nonetheless and one hundred per cent Eliana Cuevas.That first CD got Eliana to perform at top latin and jazz venues in Toronto such as The Distillery Historic District, the Lula Lounge, Hugh's Room, the Rex Hotel Jazz & Blues Bar and the famous Top O' The Senator. In March of this year she was one of the Global Divas in a concert of the same name, backed by Jane Bunnett and The Spirits of Havana and featuring some of Toronto's best world music singers. In the summer of 2003 Eliana did her first touring. In June and July she performed with her Sextet at the Victoria Jazz Festival, Vancouver Jazz Festival, Yukon Storytelling Festival and Comox Valley Music Festival. She returned home to play at Toronto's Harbourfront Centre and London's first Fiesta del Sol. It's been a busy year for Eliana Cuevas and it shows no sign of slowing down. The Latin American Achievement Award for Best Vocal Artist came as she was finishing preparations to record her second CD of original songs. It will be released in early 2004 and Eliana will be aggressively pursuing performance opportunities for the summer 2004 festival season.Eliana Cuevas is a voice to listen to and a name to watch for. As a singer, composer, writer and performer she has uncommon ability. The new audiences that have opened their ears to both world music and jazz in recent years are hungry for more and Eliana may just be the one to put her original dishes on the Canadian and international musical menu.
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