The Extraordinary Claudia Villela
Onstage , Brazilian jazz musician Claudia Villela is not just brave, she is well known for her willingness to go anywhere with her voice. Based in the Bay Area, Claudia lights up stages all over the country and abroad. We caught up with her at Kuumbwa Jazz in Santa Cruz and had the honor of toasting her brilliant talent with her very first dry martini. FrancescaBay: Claudia, the New York Times has described your voice as “Remarkable, beautiful, towering,” the Boston Globe has described you as “An extraordinary singer in any context,” Jazz Times has described you as, “A female Bobby McFerrin." Stylistically, your voice encompasses samba, bossa nova, jazz, scat and beyond. It is one of the most original voices in Brazilian Jazz. Where did you get this voice? CLAUDIA: My father gave me a pianola when I was one year old and my mother was always singing. My father played the harmonica, too. I went to piano lessons when I was five years old and I didn’t last long at al...