We sat down for a Q&A with the talented vocalist to speak about her multi-cultural background and its influence on her music.
JSF: You launched your sophomore album Madre Amiga Hermana in October 2017. What was your biggest inspiration behind its creation?
PC: My inspiration was the female experience – be it motherhood, sisterhood, lovership, and more – of my foremothers, my closest friends, and, of course, my own experience.
JSF: A stand out element of your music is your multilingual styling. In what way do you feel languages can affect your sound?
PC: In the case of this album, the subject matter of each song is quite personal, which is why the languages featured are the three closest to my heart – Spanish, English and French. For instance, when I sing to my newborn son, the sound of that kind of love, for me, is expressed in Spanish; when I sing about the man in my life, both Spanish and English are how I communicate with him and so his song is bilingual; my grandmother’s waltz, of course, came to me in Spanish; and so on.
JSF: What is the creative process like when you are using so many different languages? Is it a more intricate process or does everything flow smoothly?
PC: The languages impose themselves, really. Memories and feelings express themselves, through me, in a language of their choosing.
JSF: You embody so many different cultures and styles from Afro-Peruvian rhythms to Samba, Latin American, and Jazz. Where do you find your inspiration?
PC: For starters, from my Peruvian background, family and the many trips south to connect with my roots. The smells, music, and the amazing people, food and landscapes of Peru… that stuff really feeds the spirit. As for Samba, Jazz and other Latin American rhythms and sounds, I am inspired by my many travels, as well as my musical friendships and the music community in general, what other people are playing and listening to.
JSF: Alive or dead, in an ideal world, who would be the top three jazz musicians you would love to collaborate with?
PC: Oh! I would love to share a moment on stage with Cecile McClorin Salvant, sing a duet with Tony Bennett, and perform alongside my dear friend, the brilliant Carlos Bernardo, for years to come!
JSF: You grew up in Sudbury and are now returning for the 1oth anniversary of the Jazz Sudbury Festival. Growing up, what inspired you to take an interest in music?
PC: Dancing at the Sudbury School of Dance, and discovering music through choreography, opened my heart up to the power of music. I experienced a spiritual uplift in so many different ways, dancing to different styles of music, starting at a very young age, and it was always a powerful event for me. There was also music theatre – at Theatre Cambrian – that played an important role in my musical awakening. Also, during my solo trips to Peru, discovering the Afro-Peruvian music scene alongside my aunt while in my teens stirred something inside me, for sure. Growing up in Sudbury, those are my most formative memories of music having an impact on me.
JSF: This will not be your first performance at the Jazz Sudbury Festival. What does it feel like to return to your hometown to play?
PC: Awesome! Sudbury is my favourite place in the world to perform – because I am home.
JSF: In which ways do you feel you have grown since the last time you participated in the Jazz Sudbury Festival?
PC: I have a new album, as well as a new son (3 months old), and I have travelled with my band quite a bit since the last time I played the festival, therefore my voice is stronger, my feet are more grounded, and the sound of my band is even tighter than before on account of the complicity we have enjoyed all these years!
