Claudia Acuna

Though her dream had long centered on singing, it was not until age 15 that Chilean jazz vocalist Claudia Acuña first encountered jazz itself. Born in Santiago, she had spent her early years performing traditional folk material alongside the pop songs then in circulation. Local jazz enthusiasts who caught one of her performances quickly recognized her innate aptitude for the idiom and urged her to explore it further. She began spending time at the city’s principal jazz venue both onstage and in the crowd, joining sets by neighborhood players and crossing paths with visiting figures such as Wynton Marsalis, Michel Petrucciani and Danilo Perez.

Acuña relocated to New York in 1995, determined to advance her career in earnest. Between temporary work and relentless attendance at jam sessions—often remaining until the early hours before she was called to the microphone—she steadily built recognition within the jazz world, securing recurring appearances at Smalls, Sweet Basil, the Zinc Bar and Metronome. These steady engagements led to a meeting with bassist Avishai Cohen, who joined her on a demo recording that secured a contract with Verve Records. Cohen also participated in the making of her first album, The Wind From the South, issued by the label in spring 2000.