Pan American soul songstress Gaby Moreno plays Bardot

By Jordan Levin||jlevin@miamiherald.com10/11/2011

Gaby Moreno’s music would be compelling enough, even without the charming backstory. Born and raised in Guatemala, Moreno was transfixed when, on a childhood trip to New York, she heard a woman singing blues on the street. She immersed herself in Louis Armstrong, Nina Simone, and Ella Fitzgerald. You can hear their old-school soul in Moreno’s CD Illustrated Songs, in a gorgeous, lush, utterly original sound that mixes North and South America, Spanish and English. There’s a buzz on about Moreno, who’s toured with Ani DiFranco and Tracy Chapman, appeared on an NPR Tiny Desk concert, been featured on tastemaking LA station KCRW, and just got called to record a duet with countryman and Latin music star Ricardo Arjona. Catch her in Miami (before she becomes the next Julieta Venegas) on Tuesday night at Bardot on 34th and North Miami Ave., the perfect place for her intimate, velvety music.