Sofia Tosello

Sofia Tosello, a remarkable young singer hailing from Cordoba, Argentina, belongs to an exciting new group of South American artists who, by blending the traditional rhythms of their respective countries with a funky and sophisticated New York sensibility, are challenging the way Latin American song is done. In Sofia one hears the unmistakable imprint of the tango, the chacarera and zamba, but as an authentic daughter of the Diaspora from the South – having spent a good deal of her musical formation in the New York jazz/pop/Latin milieu – we also hear reflected in her voice an impressive range of sounds that only the global village of New York can produce: the downtown “world” jazz scene, bossa nova, Nueva Trova, son and the lesser known filin, an influential variation of the Cuban bolero made popular by Omara Portuondo and Elena Burke. Unlike many singers who define themselves via a national specific genre or a specific influence, Sofia prefers to see herself as a border-crosser, not bound by the logic of the genre. If pressed for a way to describe her musical aesthetic words like hybridity or mestizaje seem to suit her better. Sofia combines the best of today’s global currents in jazz and Latin American folk/popular music, while maintaining a profound respect for tradition – a feat seldom achieved in young artists in any musical field. As a child growing up in a small province in Argentina, Sofia was exposed to a number of different regional, national and international musical traditions. She recalls listening to a broad range of music -- from the tangos of Troilo, the boleros of Armando Manzanero, the rock poetry of Fito Paez, to the bossa nova of Caetano and Gal Costa, and the swing of Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong. It was her interest in jazz and her desire to explore the international dimensions of Latin music that led her to relocate to New York at the age of 17 – a decision that would mark her profoundly. Once in New York she chose to study at City College so she could learn her craft under the tutelage of the legendary singer, Sheila Jordan, from whom she learned the art of making a song one’s own. Since graduating, Sofia has performed and recorded with a number of artists in a variety of different settings – in particular, the spectacular Pedro Giraudo Jazz Orchestra (Jazz Gallery and Jazz Standard), Jose Conde y La Ola Fresca (Joe’s Pub), Alex Cuba (Central Park), Thalia (Madison Square Garden), Christos Rafalides Latin Quintet (Zinc Bar) and Cocomama’s (an all woman salsa group).Sofia’s most recent work with her own group marks the beginning of an innovative musical project that features her talent as a songwriter/composer and as an interpreter of young Latin American songwriters (Pavel Urquiza, Alberto Rojo, Chato Diaz and others). With a CD forthcoming Sofia is well on her way to contributing to the Latin American musical landscape of the 21st century -- one defined by the transnational flow of culture and music from the great metropolitan cities to the entire world. Sofia’s voice is living proof that a person is defined not by an appeal to some mythical roots but rather to the routes he or she has traversed. And already we hear that Sofia is being true to her routes as she takes Latin American folk, sprinkles it with the best in jazz and pop, to create a sound that is both familiar and new, traditional and innovative, local and global.