An unconditional voice
Singer and songwriter Violetta Curry has had a busy year. In May 2008 she released her new album, titled Unconditional Love, and finished up a European tour promoting the CD. As might be guessed from the album’s title, the nine-track CD explores love in its various facets: the love of a parent and child, love lost, abusive love and true love. Most of the album’s songs are in English, but there are a couple of mellow Portuguese tunes as well, including the cover ‘Último Desejo’ and her own ‘El Farol’. Curry’s style is what’s called Nu Jazz, which is a type of jazz fusion. Of her music and style she explained, “I’ve always wanted to be a singer for musicians rather than a singer for the masses.”
Curry’s lifelong desire to sing sprouted from a melodic childhood, which was filled with Stevie Wonder, Diane Warwick and Barbra Streisand, plus lots of jazz. Her father, Paul Curry, was a well-known jazz pianist who played with the greats of the time, such as Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughn. The singer remembers, as a little girl, seeing her father sitting at the piano of their Philadelphia home, practising his music while she watched him, entranced. Violetta grew up with music in her house and in her heart, but didn’t start singing professionally until she came to Spain from Philadelphia 22 years ago (a song on the new album, ‘Growin’ Up in Philly’, is about her childhood there). After living in many parts of southern Spain, Curry was invited to perform in Barcelona. She took the job and has made the Catalan metropolis her home since 1996.
For the last eight years, Violetta has been performing regularly with jazz pianist Jaume Vilaseca, a talented Catalan musician who was short-listed for a Grammy in Latin Jazz in 2006 and is featured on the new CD. The two have a great chemistry together, and had been talking about making an album for some time, Curry said. The title track comes from a dream that her husband had, awakening one morning with the lyrics fresh in his mind.
Unconditional Love is a collaborative album with a gifted cast of musicians who have helped in its creation. Besides Jaume Vilaseca, Michele Faber plays piano on her own song, ‘I Should, I Could, I Would’. On the drums is Cheryl Alleyne from the UK, who is currently working with award-winning jazz musician Courtney Pine. On bass is Joseph ‘The Duke’ Roberts, who has played with a long list of biggies, including Sting, Clapton and even Pavarotti. “I’m working with an all-star group and I feel really, really privileged,” Curry told Metropolitan.
Though Barcelona is home for Curry in many ways, those who want to catch her sugary vocals must act fast. She plans to move to Ireland in 2009, ending over two decades in Spain. While the two countries contrast in many ways, musically Ireland has a lot going for it, she said, plus an advantageous proximity to northern Europe. “The Irish love music; they’ve got music in their blood,” said Curry. She is looking forward to new beginnings in the North, but promises to come back frequently to Barcelona on tour.