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Raised in a musical family out of Cleveland, Ohio, Maria has always been surrounded by diversity in music that reached far beyond what could be found in record stores. From the tender age of six, she has sung in her church choir where eastern melodies and percussion were heard from the Melkite Catholic Mass. 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.
Her first encounters with live music were with her father Mike Jacobs, a drummer who frequently brought Maria to the bandstand to render her interpretations of favorite standards on which she was raised. 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 jazz in area night clubs.
Maria has jammed with many great musicians including Grover Washington Jr. and Nancy Wilson. She has opened for Bob Dorough and recorded with bassist Alphonso Johnson and drummer Ndugu Chancler, both formerly of Weather Report.
Upon graduating from college with a degree in Journalism, Maria started working with several jazz 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 here that she realized she would forever be a student of music, absorbing all she could from her various surroundings.
In 1997, Maria moved to Los Angeles, CA upon the coaxing of Alphonso Johnson, who also encouraged her to fulfill her musical journey. He introduced her to JVC recording artist Kevyn Lettau, with whom she studied privately for three years, and later followed to the Los Angeles Music Academy for more group study in vocal improvisation and technique.
Other musicians Maria has worked with include Bob Conti, Tony Dumas, Ralph Penland, Greg Poree, George Gaffney, Tom Garvin, Earl Palmer, Ernie McDaniel, Richard Sherman, Geoffrey Aymar, Sherry Luchetti, Greg Bandy, Paul Kreibech and Wilford Middlebrooks. She has participated in master classes of some the finest vocalists in the business including: Betty Carter, Diane Reeves, Jay Clayton, Kitty Margolis, Ellen Johnson, Suzanne Pittson and Cathy Segal-Garcia.
Maria is a professional member of the Jazz Vocal Coalition and the International Association of Jazz Educators. She currently teaches private flute and voice at the AMUSE Music Center in Palos Verdes, and attends Chapman University for Music Therapy. She sings professionally throughout Los Angeles, New York and Cleveland, and is featured singing in the film “Made Up,” directed by Tony Shalhoub, and starring Brooke Adams and Gary Sinise.
Hen House Studios is a record label and documentary film company in Venice, California. First made famous by their unique concept to record musicians for free in exchange for the right to film them, Hen House has grown to a premiere, web based multi media company featuring music videos, CDs, DVDs, and podcasts all produced by the studio.
Hear the Music and See the Stories.
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