Consuelo Candelaria

"Compositionally driven post-bop jazz that embraces deep musician interplay into an act of joyful expression."

Consuelo Candelaria is a pianist and composer known for her lyrical touch, rhythmic vitality, and distinctive compositional voice.

Over the course of her career, she has performed and recorded with many of jazz's most respected artists, including Ron Savage, Billy Pierce, Bobby Broom, Curtis Fuller, Don Braden, Walter Smith III, Jason Palmer, Harvey Mason, Lewis Nash, Louis Hayes, Billy Hart, Jeff "Tain" Watts, and Paula Cole. Recent performance highlights include the Panama Jazz Festival (2024) and appearances at the Cambridge Jazz Festival (2022–2025) with the Ron Savage Trio featuring Billy Pierce and Bobby Broom.

As a bandleader, her recordings Last Sunday Morning (named a Boston Globe Top 10 Jazz Album),  (Accurate Records), When They Danced,  In The Moment , are comprised primarily of original compositions, showcasing both her expressive pianism and her distinctive voice as a composer. She also appears on Paula Cole's Ballads and PBS's Unresolved with Jason Palmer.

Her international career has taken her throughout Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the Caribbean, including performances with the Bangkok Symphony Orchestra, recorded by Abbey Road Studios, and appearances for the President of Costa Rica.

A Grand Prize winner of the John Lennon Songwriting Contest (Jazz category) for her composition En Tiempos Pasados, Candelaria continues to perform, compose, and create music that reflects technical mastery, emotional depth, and a deeply personal artistic vision.

In addition to her international performing and composing career, she is a Full Professor at Berklee College of Music, where she continues to mentor emerging musicians while maintaining an active global performance and recording career.

 

 

Project details

Recorded in 2008, finally released. This previously unreleased vault session features legendary saxophonist Bill Pierce (Art Blakey, Tony Williams). Inspired by the post-hard-bop tradition shaped by Mulgrew Miller and Donald Brown, these compositionally driven performances showcase dynamic interplay, expressive improvisation, and the joy of these musicians creating in the moment. Nearly 16 years later, this powerful quartet session sounds as vibrant and relevant as the day it was recorded—a must-listen for modern jazz listeners and hard-bop purists alike.

Album

In the moment

Consuelo Candelaria

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In this vault release, recorded in 2008, I am over the moon to finally be able to share this music with all of you. It is close to my heart as much of the music is centered around family:) One is for Mom, Mother's song, Read more

In this vault release, recorded in 2008, I am over the moon to finally be able to share this music with all of you. It is close to my heart as much of the music is centered around family:) One is for Mom, Mother's song, and the other is for Dad, La Jornada. LIttle Feet's beats is for my boys when they were quite little and I would hear their little feet boppin' around. These are but a few of compositions here. I love this record, and am so happy to share it with you at long last. ❤️

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  1. 1
    In the moment 5:59
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    In the moment

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    Unlikely chacha 7:31
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    Unlikely chacha

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  3. 3
    Umbrian Rain 7:41
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    Umbrian Rain

    Consuelo Candelaria

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  4. 4
    Cariñosos 7:56
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    Cariñosos

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    Mother's song 7:11
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    Mother's song

    Consuelo Candelaria

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  6. 6
    Samba Chicana 7:37
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    Samba Chicana

    Consuelo Candelaria

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  7. 7
    02 Little Feets Beats 8:34
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    02 Little Feets Beats

    Consuelo Candelaria

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    La Jornada 8:35
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    La Jornada

    Consuelo Candelaria

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    02 Aerial View (w_ fixes) 5:47
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    02 Aerial View (w_ fixes)

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Last Sunday Morning on Accurate label. (LINK COMING)

Press / Reviews

“ALBUM REVIEWS : Compositions Make for Appealing ‘Sunday’ One of the great joys of jazz is the music’s constant capacity to generate new, unexpected, often unknown talent. Pianist-composer Consuelo Candelaria is on the faculty of Berklee College of Music in Boston and Jon Hazilla is a Boston-based drummer. Both are proficient, if not especially unusual players, although Candelaria possesses a pleasant Bill Evans quality in her solo work. More important, Candelaria, who wrote all the music on the CD (with the exception of Billy Strayhorn’s “Johnnie Come Lately”), is an extraordinarily gifted composer. Virtually every tune on the album bursts with memorable melody and catchy rhythms. Some highlights: the meter-twisting rhythms of “Java Jive” and “Waltz for You,” the Monkish “Out of Kilter,” the floating melodies of “In Your Voice” and the title track “Last Sunday Morning.” In almost every case, Candelaria avoids the obvious, constantly altering familiar jazz forms, stretching phrases, taking chances with unusual rhythms. She is a composer to watch, with a knack for writing music with a rare combination of listener appeal and creative density. * Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good), four stars (excellent). ” - By Don Heckman

— LA Times

“Driven by her inventive modern neo-bop compositions, pianist Consuelo Candelaria's collaborative album Last Sunday Morning earned high praise from AllMusic critic Michael G. Nastos. Nastos highlighted her exceptional musicianship, celebrating her "beautiful array of sonorous chime chording and light lines."” - Michael G. Nastos

— AllMusic

“The diverse tracks hold together seamlessly, with Cole meticulously sequencing two different versions of the album, one for vinyl and CD release and the other for streaming – because the listening experience varies depending on the format, says Cole: “It took months to come up with the sequencing. I was shuffling songs all day as I did chores in the house, so I could hear the heads and tails and how they sequence.” For the “experiential listener,” the album opens with the 1941 standard “You Don’t Know What Love Is,” paying homage, Cole says, to John Coltrane’s 1962 interpretation, with Cole’s exquisite vocals backed by Bellerose, Barry, upright bassist Dennis Crouch, and Consuelo Candelaria Barry on piano. Cole originally discovered the spiritual “God’s Gonna Cut You Down” on Johnny Cash and Odetta records. Cole is joined on soul-stirring sisterhood harmonies by powerhouse Darcel Wilson, a veteran of the Revolution album and tour. “I love that it’s a morality tale from a woman’s point of view,” says Cole. ” - MIssing Piece

— Missing Piece group

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