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All together now: I’d like to teach the world to sing — like Claudia Acuña.

Well, no, not really. Individuality counts for a lot, especially in the wide world of jazz singing. So finding a personal style is almost a duty.

The Chilean-born singer has such a style. It involves a broad reach of repertoire, songs that don’t necessarily emerge from the jazz bag, songs that don’t seem to be pulled from any particular pigeonholes. Read more »

In the music business, five years without a new CD is practically an eternity.

But radiant jazz singer Claudia Acuña has come back strong, with a startling release that — typically, for her — cuts against convention.

For starters, she sings almost entirely in Spanish on her superb new recording, “En Este Momento” (Marsalis Music), which translates to “At This Moment.” That’s clearly not a quick-and-easy way to re-establish yourself in the marketplace, concedes Acuña, who opens Thursday night at the Jazz Showcase. Read more »

Born in Santiago and raised in Concepcion, Chile, Acuña began singing Chilean folk/pop, rock, fusion and opera, drawing inspiration from Chilean music pioneers Violeta Parra and Victor Jara. At the age of 15 she discovered her first “outside” musical model: Frank Sinatra. Acuña finally “felt at home” when she heard the voices of Sinatra, Erroll Garner and Sarah Vaughan. Read more »