Lucia Pulido’s off-stage demeanor–delicate, reserved, unassuming–belies one of the most powerful and original voices in Latin American music today: a torrent of sound and emotion that mesmerizes with its energy and captivates with its sensibility. Back in the late 80’s and early 90’s, Lucia left an important mark in popular music in Colombia. Since her arrival in NYC in 1994, however, she has become a relentless explorer and exponent of the depth of Colombian and Latin American folklore. Of most significance is the fact that she has delineated her efforts with experimentation, surrounding herself with a variety of improvisers, composers and producers who are established artists and pioneers in their own right, such as Fernando Tarres, Erik Friedlander, Satoshi Takeishi, Dave Binney, Christian Fennesz, Burkhard Stangl, Franz Hautzinger, and long-time collaborator, producer, and musical director Sebastian Cruz.

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The wealth of feeling in her music is indescribable. In one set you may hear her tackling an electrifying up-tempo puya (an exuberant dance from the northern coast of Colombia) with athletic energy and virtuosity, soaring with impossible ease over the frenzy of the rhythm, followed by a heart-breaking alabao’ (a funeral lament from her country’s forgotten Pacific region) sung with enchanting tenderness. Such is Lucia’s aura: rich in its inheritance of tradition and its embrace of modernity, alive with the spirit of a true innovator, bursting with expressiveness.

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She is currently working on several projects with musicians in New York City and in different countries in Europe and Latin America. Her active career includes performances in Canada, United States, Europe, Asia, and South America.

 

by Alejandro Flórez