CATINA DELUNA & OTMARO RUÍZ

Originally from São Paulo, DeLuna moved to the States to get her Master’s degree, eventually settling in Los Angeles. Her talent and expertise in Brazilian music gained DeLuna a following, including the legendary drummer, Peter Erskine. It was Erskine who introduced DeLuna to Ruíz, a brilliant Venezuelan pianist and composer who had long made Los Angeles his home and established himself in the jazz and world music scenes. DeLuna knew Ruíz’s work and had hoped to work with him and, when he heard DeLuna’s work, Ruíz knew that her command and artistic integrity would allow for a musical collaboration that could go anywhere artistically. After they were introduced, the couple’s mutual appreciation grew deeper, leading from a musical relationship to a personal one. Their partnership became a marriage in music and in life. Having long worked with Brazilian artists, Ruíz had an instant connection to DeLuna’s deep knowledge of Brazilian song, which read more...