* En anglais uniquement
A fluidly inventive Chilean jazz guitarist and singer/songwriter,
Camila Meza makes ambitious, lyrical music that combines progressive fusion, post-bop, and Latin American folk traditions. It's a sophisticated sound born out of her love for artists like
Pat Metheny,
Milton Nascimento, and
Joni Mitchell.
Meza first garnered attention with her 2007 debut, Skylark, before moving to New York. Since then, she has collaborated on projects with other boundary-pushing artists like
Ryan Keberle,
Aaron Goldberg, and
Fabian Almazan. Applying her distinctive approach to jazz and pop standards, as well as her own emotive original pieces,
Meza has garnered widespread acclaim for her genre-crossing albums, including 2009's Retrato, 2016's
Traces, and 2019's ebulliently orchestral
Ambar.
Born in 1985 in Santiago,
Meza grew up in a creative, intellectually minded family the daughter of two journalists. Her father, who also played piano, encouraged her to play music. She also drew early inspiration from her brother, a drummer, who introduced her to prog-rock. By her teens,
Meza was taking guitar lessons and listening to music by
Jimi Hendrix and
Led Zeppelin, as well as singer/songwriters like
Joni Mitchell. At 15, she formed a rock band with friends from school. She eventually discovered jazz, especially the genre-bending work of
Pat Metheny, who quickly became a major influence. Soon,
Meza was studying the styles of other influential guitarists like
George Benson,
John McLaughlin, and
John Scofield. She also developed a deep passion for Latin American music traditions, including artists like
Victor Jara,
Milton Nascimento, and
Mercedes Sosa. Along with playing live shows, she studied with noted Chilean artists
Jorge Vidal and Jorge Díaz. In 2007, she released her debut solo album, Skylark.
In 2009,
Meza moved to New York City to attend the New School, where she further honed her skills studying with guitarists
Peter Bernstein,
Vic Juris, and
Steve Cardenas. That same year, she released her sophomore album as leader, Retrato, which featured her original songs, alongside covers by
Luiz Bonfa,
Led Zeppelin,
Joni Mitchell, and more. It was around this time that she also began to branch out, developing close creative relationships with artists like
Ryan Keberle,
Lucas Pino,
Fabian Almazan, and others. An EP, Prisma, arrived in 2013 and found
Meza working with pianist
Aaron Goldberg, bassist
Pablo Menares, drummer
Clarence Penn, and saxophonist
John Ellis.
In 2016,
Meza made her Sunnyside debut with
Traces, singing in English and Spanish. The album featured contributions by
Shai Maestro,
Matt Penman,
Kendrick Scott,
Sachal Vasandani, and others. It earned
Meza two Independent Music Awards, including Best Adult Contemporary Album and Best Latin song for "Para Volar." She returned in 2019 with the orchestral-string-inflected
Ambar on Sony Masterworks, which again found her playing her own songs, alongside selections by
Antônio Carlos Jobim,
Milton Nascimento,
Chico Buarque, and others. ~ Matt Collar