Maria Jacobs
Cleveland, Ohio, United States | INDIE
Music
Press
I heard Maria sing at the IAJE conference...I was so impressed with her vocal talent...I asked if she ever thought of doing anything along the lines of Nora Jones...Chasing Dreams is not Maria'a first CD, but quite possibly could be her best work to date. HEr sultry voice and eloquent lyrical content are captivating. Tracks of note: "I Wish You Belonged to Me" and "Pour Me a Cup of Yesterday."
-- Greg Tutweiler - Greg Tutweiler - Singer Magazine
It is always fun to discover new up-and-coming talents in the jazz world. Maria Jacobs is a fine singer with an appealing voice, a subtle style and the ability to swing. On her debut recording she is joined by Mike Petrone or Robert "Skeets" Ross on piano, Martin Block or Jesse Dandy on bass, on four of the nine songs drummer Roy King and on three tunes the saxes of Gerald Linthicome. Among the highlights are a pair of vocal-piano duets (Black Coffee" and "You Don't Know What Love Is").
Based in Cleveland at the time of the recording (she has since relocated to LA), Maria JAcobs sings mostly melodic versions of standards (plus her own "No Frills"), stretching out a bit on "Corcovado," "In A Mellow Tone" and "You Don't Know What Love Is." Although hopefully she will explore some lesser-known and newer material in the future, this is an impressive start to what should be a productive career. - Scott Yanow - LA Jazz Scene
From the shores of Lake Erie comes a vocalist, gifted with talent and signs of a future filled with great promise. Maria Jacobs is a native Clevelander who discovered her voice in jazz while attending Ohio State University in nearby Columbus. It's been a decade of expanding her vocabulary and gigging with some of the hippest musicians in this midwestern hub. Jacobs is determined, focused and ready to live out this next chapter in her development as an artist.
This CD you hold in your hands represents her first opportunity to share with a larger audience some of the experiences she has gleaned over the years, absorbing what she could from her environment both musically and personally. No Frills is an apt description for Jacobs' premiere release. There's no candy coating here, just favorite classic tunes she has rendered over the years. Rendered to the point where, in 1997, one could say she "owns" them. Accompanying this aspiring recording artist is the Mike Petrone Trio, which features the seasoned swing of bassist Mrtin Block and drummer Roy King. Rounding out the hose of musical friends are guest pianist Skeets Ross, bassist Jesse Dandy, and Saxophonisg Gerald Linthicome. These musicians share a common musical heritage - the "Cleveland" sound - and this bond comes out in the interaction among all the platers on each tune. It is not overstated or understated. IT is not pretentious. It is warm.. It is rea. Charlie Parker was quoted, "If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn." Jacobs has a story to tell out of her own life experience, through the vehicle of music. I have no doube it will be the first of many. To be continued... - Bobby Jackson - Tha Jazz Mind, formerly WCPN
Jacobs can be forgiven for her love of the Cleveland Indians and their offensive "smiling Indian" logo, thanks to her gorgeous, decidedly inoffensive vocals, which have graced commercials and the national anthem in major-league ballparks across America, and which shine on her debut CD, No Frills. - Buzz Weekly - Los Angeles
Discography
No Frills, The Richard Sherman Quintet Live, Featuring Maria Jacobs, Chasing Dreams and original pop album Free As A Dove. You can see videos at Youtube.com/mariajacobs
Photos
Bio
Born in Cleveland, Ohio, this former traffic reporter and disc jockey lived in Los Angeles for eleven years and sang The Langham Huntington, (formerly the Ritz Carlton,) The Four Seasons in Westlake Village, Chaya of Beverly Hills, and The Torrance Civic Center to name a few. Maria also opened for jazz trumpeter Chuck Mangione at The Coach House and in Columbus, Ohio she was featured with the opening act for Bob Dorough.
Maria recorded with Alphonso Johnson and Ndugu Chancler for an album entitled “Chasing Dreams.” The EP received a wonderful review in Singer Magazine. But Maria is most excited about the original pop and R&B album which will feature guitarist and arranger J Curtis, who wrote Where Is The Love? by the Blackeyed Peas. The album is called Free As A Dove, and for it Maria wrote eight out of nine songs. Free As A Dove has national distribution. Also as a songwriter, she wrote “So This Is Love,” a theme song for a sitcom of the same name on the web.
Maria has always been surrounded by diversity in music that reached far beyond what could be found in record stores. Maria began singing in the Melkite Catholic Church at a very early age, and soon began sharing the bandstand with her father Mike Jacobs, a drummer in the Cleveland area. Maria has always wanted to sing and began so by doing her rendition of favorite standards, a few of which are heard on her first album entitled “No Frills,” available on iTunes.
In the fourth grade Maria began fifteen years of classical flute study and some piano, gaining a new appreciation for European melody and harmony through much practice and listening. All of these rich, early experiences lead to superior ratings in flute competitions throughout high school, a music scholarship at The Ohio State University and singing jobs in area night clubs.
Upon graduating from college, Maria started working with several radio stations as a disc jockey, but it was in Cleveland that she met up with friend and mentor Bobby Jackson, three-time Gavin radio "Person of the Year.” The musical director of then 24-hour jazz station, WCPN, hired her as his research assistant. It was there that she realized she would forever be enmeshed in music, absorbing all she could from her various surroundings.
In Los Angeles Maria studied with some of the finest vocalists in the business, including Kevyn Lettau, Marni Nixon, Roland Wyatt, and workshops with Mark Murphy, Shelia Jordan, Rhiannon and Betty Carter.
Maria still performs in Los Angeles, as well as Milwaukee, Indiana, Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio. Chasing Dreams is heard on major stations Miami, Syracuse, Ft. Lauderdale, Philadelphia, Las Vegas and Los Angeles to name a few. Free As A Dove is heard on terrestrial and internet stations worldwide. For more information on Maria please go to www.mariajacobs.com.
REVIEWS
L.A. Jazz Scene
by Scott Yanow
CHASING DREAMS - Review
- Maria Jacobs has a powerful voice, is a subtle improviser and puts plenty of feeling into her singing...Chasing Dreams is her strongest jazz recording to date and is easily
recommended. She is a singer worth discovering.
- Scott Yanow, LA Jazz Scene
- Former DJ Maria Jacobs releases new CD brimming with soulful depth...Hers is a voice that is brimming with soulful depth and emotional power...Chasing Dreams is a knockout punch of an album. The impressive range and
heartfelt feelings that her voice displays on Chasing Dreams is no amateur hour, no ego trip of a DJ simply wanting to be on stage with the stars. This lady can truly sing, plumb the deep recesses of the heart.
- Robert Sutton, JazzCorner and All About Jazz
- I heard Maria sing at the IAJE conference in Long Beach... I was so impressed with her vocal talent...I asked if she ever thought of doing anything along the lines of Nora Jones...”Chasing Dreams” is not Maria’s first CD, but quite possibly could be her best work to date. Her sultry voice and eloquent lyrical content are captivating. Tracks of note: “I Wish You Belonged to Me” and “Pour Me a Cup of Yesterday.”
- Greg Tutweiler/Singer Magazine
- Maria Jacobs is a fine singer with an appealing voice, a subtle style and the ability to swing...this is an impressive start to what should be a producive career. - Scott Yanow/ LA Jazz Scene
- From the shores of Lake Erie comes a vocalist with talent and signs of a future filled with great promise....
- Bobby Jackson/ Music Director WCPN, Cleveland
- Jacobs’ gorgeous vocals have graced commercials...across America...and shine on her debut CD No Frills.
- Buzz Weekly, LA
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