Brazilian singer, pianist & composer
"(...) DeLuna’s voice is warm, clear and unaffected. There is authenticity to her approach, sound and style. As a native Portuguese speaker, she embodies the language and it contributes significantly to the effectiveness and effortless storytelling she conveys in her work.
She is equally accomplished at the piano. Vocally, she is technically savvy without sacrificing one iota of her performance prowess nor relying on licks or histrionics. She sings beautifully with a range of emotions with the same efficacy of legendary singers like Elis Regina, Gal Costa, or Tania Maria while being unrestrained in her presentation.
She was nominated for a Grammy in 2016 for Best Arrangement, Instrumental and Vocals. (...)"
- Sandra Booker, Women in Jazz Media
Photo: L. Aviva Diamond
MUSIC
Lado B Brazilian Project
"Catina DeLuna and The Lado B project are a masterclass in singing, arranging, tight ensemble playing, musicianship, song selection and most of all, in joyful music making—one of my very favorite groups anywhere."
-Tierney Sutton
L.A.’s highly acclaimed arranger/producer Otmaro Ruiz and International Recording Artist, Catina DeLuna, joined forces in 2015 to release the Portuguese version of “Girl from Ipanema". The record has now received an official Grammy nomination for the 2016 Grammys in the category of Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals. Ruiz and DeLuna share their nomination in the 2016 Grammys in the same category as famed music icon, David Bowie.
The nomination of the couple’s acclaimed version of the worldwide hit song, "The Girl from Ipanema," has caught the attention of music critics and fans internationally and catapulted them to appear live in countless radio interviews and publications such as a feature in the current edition of Rolling Stone Magazine Brazil and a spot on Planeta Brasil Television along with other outlets.
This CD represents a debut release in the United States for the Brazilian born DeLuna and is indicative of the third GRAMMY nomination for Venezuela’s Otmaro Ruiz, who is noted for receiving a Grammy Award as director for Diane Reeves’ “In the Moment” live - in concert release, a recording that won for “Best Jazz Vocal Album” in 2001. His collaboration with Alex Acuna’s “Acuarelas de Tambores” in the same year also received a Grammy nomination.
"Over the years, there have been plenty of albums featuring Brazilian music (...) but few have transformed the material as well as Catina DeLuna (...)"
- (Thomas Cunniffe - Jazz History Online)
