Cuban/Chilean cellist and composer, Ana Carla Maza comes to the UK for two dates in August, performing material from her new album, Bahía, released in February this year on Persona Editorial Records. Ana Carla creates a beautiful mix of classical cello and vocals, drawing on Cuban son, samba, bossa nova, tango, jazz and chanson.

Ana Carla Maza was born in Havana to a musical family - her father was Chilean pianist Carlos Maza and her mother Cuban guitarist Mirza Sierra. She began to play the piano at the age of five, taught by Miriam Valdés, sister of pianist Chucho Valdés, and started the cello at eight, appearing on stage for the first time in Havana when she was barely ten. She moved to Paris in 2012 to study at the Conservatoire and embarked on a solo career, performing throughout Europe, meeting the inspirational cellist Vincent Segal during that time.

Her new album, Bahía, was recorded acoustically in Barcelona in one take: “direct, simple, sincere, in one go, one afternoon was enough” and for Ana Carla it is a post-pandemic album where the importance of the present cannot be overstated. Bahía is inspired by the musical traditions of her childhood, from Brazilian bossa nova to Cuban habanera incorporating Latin rhythms, pop tunes, jazz harmonies and classical techniques. She has released two previous albums: Solo Acoustic Concert (2016) and La Flor (2020).