Primary Instrument: Vocal
Calderón studied music at the Amsterdam Conservatory (CvA) in Holland, while complementing her official studies with private tutoring sessions with Jazz singer and pianist, Deborah Carter. Calderón subsequently continued her advanced studies in Musikene (Basque Music Conservatory) in San Sebastian, Spain, tutored by the renowned American vocalist, Judy Niemack. San Sebastian has left a deep imprint in Natalia's heart, and especially Musikene, and the International Jazzaldia Festival in which Natalia performed twice (with the Urban Art Quartet and with the Dynamic Trio).
She has taken part in various workshops and seminaries given by Deborah Brown (CvA & Manhattan School Of Music), Bobby Mc Ferrin (CvA), Kenny Werner (”Effortless Mastery”), Carme Canela (International Seminary of Jazz, Zarautz), Richard Bona (CvA), Nancy Marano (Manhattan School Of Music) and Jimmy Cobb (Musikene).
Natalia has performed together with Bob Sands, Jorge Pardo, Mariano Diaz, Albert Sanz, Román Filiú, Andres Litwin, Yul Ballesteros, David González and Vincent Thomas to mention but a few.
The list of her latest noted performances include concerts in the Cultural Centres of the C.A.M with The Natalia Calderón Quartet; a national tour of Spain with Inside voices; performances with her jazz trio, The Natalia Calderón and Yul Ballesteros Trio for the Madrid Jazz Festival, alongside David González; concerts with The Natalia Calderón Quartet in the Via Magna Festival of Vocal Music in the Christmases of 2005 and 2007, and the participation of The Natalia Calderón Quintet in the XIV edition of Concerts of Spring in San Sebastián. Also noteworthy are her performances in the festival “Ellas Crean”, a festival for women writers, each year from 2008 to 2011.
Natalia is actively performing with several groups, each catering to a slightly different flavor of vocal jazz/soul. One of the groups is the Natalia Calderón Quartet, which she has founded. In 2008 the Quartet won the International Jazz Competition in San Martin De La Vega, Madrid. Subsequently in 2009, the group has toured Guatemala, Costa Rica and Santo Domingo, in collaboration with AECID (Network Spanish Cultural Centers). The Quartet's debut album, “Flor Azul (Blue Flower)” consisting mainly of Natalia's own compositions and lyrics, led to invitations to appear in the world renowned North Sea Jazz Festival, 2011 edition, Bangkok City of Jazz Conference and Showcase and the Koh Samui Jazz Festival.
Natalia is a founding member, of the “Inside Voices” gospel funk choir, directed by Sheilah Cuffy. Inside Voices, one of the forerunners of gospel in Spain has performed extensively in theatres, concert halls, auditoriums and cultural centers all around the country since 1997.
“Groovebox” has a repertoire based on original compositions. The synergy created by the four musicians results (Natalia being the vocal leader) in songs full of expressiveness, sensitivity and a resounding sound of pure groove, yet full of nuances contributed by the different personalities. It's soul, jazz and groove. It's about awakening the senses, and dancing!
Awards:
2008 San Martin De La Vega, Madrid, International Jazz Award.Disclaimer: All About Jazz is not responsible for the accuracy of the discographical data at the website(s) provided. If a link is no longer valid, please contact discography@allaboutjazz.com. Thank you.
