Olivia by Olivia Pérez-Collellmir

A wonderfully nuanced and diverse collection of music spanning many of Olivia’s own musical interests, this extraordinary recording explores the marriage of flamenco music and Latin jazz with Spanish folk traditions and classical music, creating a universal sound with no musical boundaries. Hailed as a “Spanish virtuoso” who adds “a flamenco touch to chamber jazz” (The Arts Fuse), Olivia captures the indigenous Catalan sounds of her hometown of Barcelona, Spain.

Growing up amongst the sounds of flamenco, along with her studying classical piano, Olivia has always held a life-long passion for the fusion of musical styles, including jazz. According to composer Osvaldo Golijov, her music “is a striking and gorgeous distillation of profound lyricism and rhythms that are ferocious and elegant at the same time.” Olivia puts her captivating technique and artistry on full display on her new recording. With OLIVIA the pianist stays true to the Spanish influences that have shaped her artistic sound and identity as a musician; the recording also makes some exotic escapes to India and the Middle East.

Produced by Grammy nominee Gonzalo Grau and recorded in 2021-22, the selections being released include a handful of original songs by Olivia, and arrangements of pieces by Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) and Frederic Mompou (1893-1987), one of the most universal Catalan composers. The album’s emotional centerpiece, “Barcelona," is a tribute to the composer’s hometown. Classical music arrangements are performed here by a small chamber ensemble laced with the rhythms of traditional flamenco music, vocals, and handclapping.

Olivia’s work has allowed her to branch out to musicians all over the world. 18 of today’s finest international artists can be heard collaborating in the material she chose to record on Olivia. Musicians include instrumentalists: Barcelonian Aleix Tobias (percussion), Boston-based John Lockwood (bass) and Bertram Lehmann (drums), Miami-born José Moreno (cajón), Palestinian Naseem Alatrash (cello), Israeli Amir Milstein (flute),Argentine Fernando Huergo (electric bass),French-Mexican Leonardo Prakash (guitar), Indian Giri Subramaniam (tabla), Turkish-born Bengisu Gokce (violin), UK-born Helen Sherrah-Davies (violin), Boston-based Josh Wareham (viola), and Australian James Heazlewood Dale (acoustic bass); vocalists Judit Neddermann, Loreto de Diego, and Shradha Ganesh; and Spanish flamenco artists Ismael Fernández and Sonia Olla.

Olivia Pérez Collellmir is a pianist, composer and music director from Barcelona, Spain.