Iaki Vallejo at Bird's Basement Jazz Club

Iaki Vallejo was born and raised in Colombia and currently based in Melbourne. Her voice is powerful, intense and warm and stands out in her interpretative capacity. Iaki's music incorporates Afro-Colombian, jazz, soul, salsa, afro-beat, funk, neo-soul and reggae.

Iaki studied singing at the Institute of Culture of Cali and the Universidad del Valle, before travelling the world to expand her artistic vision. In 2000 she moved to Italy to refine her style with the Italian pianist Arturo Valiante, who explored jazz and sang with different formations. In Australia, she studied with Sharmi Russel, Michelle Nicolle and Cosimo Ciccone....

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Iaki Vallejo was born and raised in Colombia and currently based in Melbourne. Her voice is powerful, intense and warm and stands out in her interpretative capacity. Iaki's music incorporates Afro-Colombian, jazz, soul, salsa, afro-beat, funk, neo-soul and reggae.

Iaki studied singing at the Institute of Culture of Cali and the Universidad del Valle, before travelling the world to expand her artistic vision. In 2000 she moved to Italy to refine her style with the Italian pianist Arturo Valiante, who explored jazz and sang with different formations. In Australia, she studied with Sharmi Russel, Michelle Nicolle and Cosimo Ciccone.

In 2013, David Jones listened to her compositions and was convinced of her potential. He went on to co-produce some songs on her first solo album. The first was Aronde, a Bullerengue of Colombian folklore from which she made her own. The second was Margarita, a theme that confirmed the talent of Iaki as a composer. Earlier this year, Iaki launched her EP " Yo Soy" (I am) at Bird's Basement.

"Margarita - Absolutely as beautiful as music can get." - Sleeping Bag Studios, Canada.

Iaki was awarded Melbourne's Best Voice in 2009 and the 2016 Peace Prize by the Melbourne International Peace Federation.

Line Up:
Iaki Vallejo - lead singer
Milton Villareal - Piano
Sebastian Barahona - Bass
Juan Pablo Vera - Latin Percussion
Zoila Alvarez - Backing Vocals
Paul Cornelius - Sax & Clarinet
Kane Watts - Drums

Special guest: Rayham Sudrajat on Sape

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