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Sofia Rei

Sofia Rei is considered one of the most passionate, and inventive musicians on the current New York music scene. Her music explores connections between the various traditions of South American folklore, jazz, flamenco and electronic sounds. She has collaborated with artists such as John Zorn (currently with Mycale and the Song Project), Maria Schneider, Bobby McFerrin, Mike Patton, Jesse Harris, the Klezmatics, Myra Melford, Pedrito Martinez, Lionel Loueke, Guillermo Klein and Geoffrey Keezer (with whom she has earned a Grammy Nomination for Best Latin Jazz Album of 2009). Her latest album, De Tierra Y Oro ("Of Earth and Gold") has received two independent Music Awards in the World Beat category for Best Album and Best Song in 2013 and has been featured on CNN, NPR's Tiny Desk, WNYC's Soundcheck, The New York Times and many more. Her music has taken her to perform all around the world and she continues to set herself apart with a bold new vision in the global music scene.

Awards

Independent Music Award 2013 Best Album and Best Song in World Beat category Independent Music Award 2010 Best Album in World Beat category

Thana Alexa: ONA

by Angelo Leonardi
April 15, 2021

Ci giunge con un po' di ritardo questo secondo disco della talentuosa vocalist e compositrice Thana Alexa, ma va assolutamente considerato. Anche questo, come già il debutto Ode to Heroes, è un tributo: dalle figure musicali che l'hanno influenzata siamo passati a una celebrazione del genere femminile e al ruolo—spesso sottovalutato—che svolgono nel mondo. Nata a New York da famiglia croata, Thana è tornata nell'infanzia in Croazia dov'è rimasta per completare i suoi studi. Successivamente si è ...

Album Review

Thana Alexa: ONA

by Doug Collette
April 5, 2020

A departure from Thana Alexa's first album Ode to Heroes (Harmonia Mundi/Jazz Village, 2015), ONA is also rooted in jazz, but it showcases Alexa's use of her voice as both a lyrical and experimental instrument. Commencing immediately on the title tune, this mostly original material features arrangements in various combinations of atmospheric, electronic soundscapes and exotic instrumental textures, complementing a voice which enchants as often through its feather-light air as its full-throated tones. Co-produced with master drummer Antonio Sanchez--with whom ...

Album Review

Thana Alexa: ONA

by Geno Thackara
March 26, 2020

Thana Alexa's voice contains a world of sound, and that is without even mentioning the globe-spanning musical trappings which surround it. Hearing her is like watching a thunderstorm or maybe a wild hawk in flight. She doesn't just sing but uses her voice as an expressive precision instrument, in much the same way all the tones and electronics here are sculpted into an unclassifiably genre-defying whole. Her rich contralto can also be honey-smooth and soothing in the (relatively) rare calm ...

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Education

Latin Vocal Workshops with Sofia Rei Koutsovitis, Presented by New York Jazz Academy, Now Registering

Source: New York Jazz Academy Publicity
June 10, 2010

New York Jazz Academy, the fastest growing music school in New York City, is pleased to announce a new workshop offering for vocalists. Latin American Vocal Workshop, with instructor Sofia Rei Koutsovitis, is open to singers that wish to learn more about Latin American repertoire. The sessions will focus on the music and rhythms of Brazil, Cuba, Argentina and Peru. Learn how to sing in Spanish and Portuguese while developing your performance skills and your vocal technique. Expand your vision ...
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Performance / Tour

Sofia Rei Koutsovitis at Drom Jan 7, 2010 - CD Release for "Sube Azul"

Source: DL Media
December 24, 2009

Sofia Rei Koutsovitis releases Sube Azul (World Village / Harmonia Mundi)CD Release Party @ Drom, NYCJanuary 7, 2010On January 7 at DROM, NYC, Argentine vocalist and composer Sofia Rei Koutsovitis will celebrate the release of Sube Azul , her sophomore CD on World Village/Harmonia Mundi. She will joined byJuancho Herrera (guitar), Eric Kurimski (guitar), Dana Leong (cello/trombone), Dan Blake (soprano sax), Jorge Roeder (bass), Yayo Serka (drums), Samuel Torres (percussion), and Jorge ...
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Recording

Sofia Rei Koutsovitis Releases "Sube Azul" January 12

Source: DL Media
December 15, 2009

Vocalist Sofia Rei Koutsovitis Releases Sube Azul (World Village/Harmonia Mundi) on January 12, 2009

CD RELEASE PARTY - January 7, 2009@ DROM, NYC

“As the Argentine singer Sofa Rei Koutsovitis led her multinational band,(...) the passion and clarity with which she assayed a tricky mix of South American rhythms and jazz-inflected harmonies made clear why she has been embraced by New York City audiences from Carnegie Hall to the hippest downtown haunts." --Phil Lutz, New York Times“Sofia ...
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“…one of the most versatile and in-demand singers on the New York music scene”- All About Jazz

"Packed inside her music are ancient tones of creation, contemporary calls of earthly truth and metagalactic chants of promise.This is the voice that is reserved for highly evolved and loving beings.” ABQTodo "... Rei and her band treated us to stellar musicianship and genre-bending music.” - NPR music “Leading light of Latin Jazz” - Village Voice "… a gutsy vocalist who sings with remarkable range and passion (…) Don’t miss this rising star; she is overflowing with vibrancy." - NYC Jazz Record "Deep passion and a full spectrum of emotions.” - Downbeat Magazine