Wed 2/14 @ 7PM
Shoveling snow doesn’t come natural to Brazilian singer-guitarist Luca Mundaca, who has called Northeast Ohio home for roughly a decade.
“I don’t handle Cleveland snow very well,” laughed Mundaca, calling after coming inside from shoveling off her walkway. “It’s very depressing. The only good thing is when it’s cold, it makes me want to stay inside and play music”
That’s a good thing for jazz/bossa nova artist Mundaca, who has found a way to take advantage of the current winter conditions as she readies material for her upcoming third album that will be recorded in the fall and perhaps released in the winter.
“It’s been way too long between releases,” Mundaca said. “I hope the new recording reflects a lot of the changes over the years on music and what I like. But it always comes down to what you feel in the moment.
“I want to explore more different beats, but at the same time I love the idea of a very acoustic, very unplugged situation.”
Mundaca said that the new project will definitely be a more modern release compared to her previous efforts, 2006’s Day by Day and 2011’s Primeiro.
“I’m still deciding what will be the direction, but I know for sure that we’ll have a lot of different textures — jazz, bossa nova, world music — on this CD,” Mundaca said. “That’s the way I write: by the moment, not by the style. I never know what’s going to happen.”
That’s true considering she originally lived in New York City but eventually after signing to a local label roughly a decade ago moved to Northeast Ohio. Since then she’s enjoyed pockets of success with her original compositions winning the 2008 Independent Music Award in the World Fusion category.
Also, her songs were featured in film (Kissing Paris, End of Watch and The Visitor) and television (Mistresses and Californication).
While considered more of a regional artist, Mundaca, described as a gifted singer-songwriter who writes brilliant melodies and profound lyrics, has her eye on touring the new album around the country.
In the meantime, Mundaca — along with Dylan Moffitt (percussion), Brian Kozak (guitar) and Demetrius Steinmentz (bass) — will be performing a special Valentine’s Day show at BOP STOP at The Music Settlement.. Even though much of the new album is written, she won’t be playing any unreleased tunes.
Instead, Mundaca’s set list includes originals “Me Dobra,” “Deixa” and “Nosso Jardim,” as well as covers such as “Chega de Saudades” (Tom Jobim and Vinícius de Moraes), “Mulato Calado” (Adriana Calcanhotto) and “Cria” (Maria Rita).
“What all the songs have in common is that they are romantic,” Mundaca said. “People should spend Valentine’s Day with me because I want to sing songs from my heart to their hearts, bringing to them love, romance and happiness.”
She quickly added, “Also, we’re going to get them dancing.”
Cleveland, OH 44113