Composer, vocalist, and CalArts alum Anaís Azul (Music MFA 22) presents an immersive evening of experimental Andean music and storytelling at the launch of her debut album Simp’ashani: Canciones Trenzadas, happening Friday, March 14 at The Reef in Downtown Los Angeles. A 2024 CalArts Reef resident, Azul closes out their residency at The Reef with the album release, which simultaneously marks the beginning of their Culture Braiding Tour throughout the US.
The album finds its roots in Azul’s time as a Fulbright scholar; during the 2023-24 cycle, they spent nine months in Peru to learn the musical instrument the charango, as well as the indigenous Andean language Quechua. The 14-track work follows Azul’s 2022 debut solo EP Vulnerable, which was released in October 2022. More about the album:
Simp’ashani: Canciones Trenzadas is a trilingual (Quechua, Spanish, and English) album that braids together Andean heritage, diasporic longing, and experimental soundscapes. Created during Anaís’s Fulbright U.S. Student Scholarship in Perú, the project reinterprets traditional Andean music through experimental production, weaving in field recordings, interviews, and original compositions. The result is a stunningly honest and vulnerable exploration of migration, identity, and reconnection to Indigenous ancestry.
Joining Azul on stage are Peruvian musicians and album contributors Luis Ramirez and RENVOLUCIÓN, who explore themes of love, struggle, and hope in their joint experimental folk musical project Perrxs del Cerro. Also performing alongside Azul are fellow CalArtians Martin Velez (Music MFA 16) as sound engineer and Emilia Moscoso-Borja (Music DMA 23) as percussionist.
Listen to Simp’ashani: Canciones Trenzadas below.
