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2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 |
| Claudia Acuña (2011) | |
|---|---|
| Born in Santiago, Chile, vocalist Claudia Acuña grew up in Concepción. But culturally rich though Santiago might be, and prevalent though music in South American homes might be—a guitar was always around the house, and everybody plays and sings—there is no guarantee of parental support for a child wishing to make a career in music: music was only a hobby, not a career.
But teachers and friends who heard Claudia singing with school choirs and folk groups encouraged her. She turned to jazz and American popular after hearing Frank Sinatra, Errol Garner and Sarah Vaughan. At about age 20, Claudia moved back to the capital and got work recording jingles and voices for cartoons. Five years later she decided to move to New York City, where initially she took some odd jobs and began just showing up wherever she could at clubs, jam sessions and venues, just to sing. Based at Smalls in Greenwich Village, she met many now well known musicians, including keyboardist Jason Lindner, who became her music director. She and bassist Avishai Cohen sent a demo to Verve records, and that got her a contract for her first recording. Four very successful recordings later, she's made that singing dream a reality. In 2009, Claudia was named co-curator of a Chilean music festival, and she is the spokesperson for World Vision Chile, an International relief organization that specializes in child-focused development programs. The late Abbey Lincoln said of Claudia "She sings in the tradition of the great ones. Her sound is her own." |
| Pick | Artist | Album | Song | Label |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| # 1 | Abbey Lincoln | A Turtle's Dream | Throw It Away | Verve |
| # 2 | The Beatles | The Beatles | I Will | Capitol |
| # 3 | Keith Jarrett | My Song | My Song | ECM |
| # 4 | The Isley Brothers | Harvest for the World | Harvest for the World | Sony |
| # 5 | Michael Jackson | Off the Wall | Don't Stop Till You Get Enough | Sony |
| # 6 | Paul Simon | So Beautiful or So What | Dazzling Blue | Hear Music |
| # 7 | Radio Tarifa | Ruma Argelina | Ruma Argelina | Atlantic |
| # 8 | Rubén Blades | Caminando | Caminando | Discos CBS |
| # 9 | Stevie Wonder | Journey through the Secret Life of Plants | Power Flower | Motown |
| # 10 | Claudia Acuña | En Esto Momento | Tulum | Marsalis Music |
| Book | The comic book "Mafalda", and a selection of poems by Pablo Neruda | |||
| Luxury Item | A Swiss Army knife | |||
| Tim Garland
26 Apr Ben Goldberg 01 Mar Lua Hadar 08 Mar | Molly Holm
19 Apr Remy Le Boeuf 15 Mar Stephanie Nakasian 18 Jan | Marlena Shaw
29 Mar Ben Sidran 12 Apr |