Livia Gazzolo is a Kurdish-American Jazz and Brazilian Tropicalia vocalist, who uses Middle Eastern melisma and unique dynamics to connect Jazz, Brazilian, and Kurdish musical traditions.

The Arabic word “Taarab” refers to a web of enchantment traditional vocalists weave with music, casting a spell over audience and performer. Singing in Kurdish, Portuguese and Spanish, Livia channels this energy in her music, bringing cultures into ethereal fusion, evoking the specificity and resonance among diverse musical traditions.

The Red Room, Soho House, The Up Room, and Bordeaux Wine Lounge are among the venues where she has appeared in Chicago. Livia performs regularly at Cafe Gulistan, her family’s restaurant in Harbert, Michigan, and with the School of American Music and the Acorn Theatre in Three Oaks, Michigan. Most recently, Livia played at Jimmy Glass and Marino Jazz Club in Valencia, Spain, while completing her studies at Berklee School of Music.

Since the age of thirteen, Livia has worked closely with jazz mentor and piano player, David Lahm, with jazz vocalist Janice Borla, with opera singer and vocal coach Merissa Beddows, and for the past five years with guitarist Reynaldo Certain building a repertoire of Brazilian Tropicalia. Livia performs frequently with Reynaldo and with piano player Pat Leary, drummer Alex Santilli, and bassist Jeff Wheaton. She is collaborating with guitar player and songwriter Ari Lindo on her first original album, to be released in 2024.