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Maria Marquez
Princesa de la Naturaleza (Nature's Princess) (Adventure Music)
$16.99

The US-based singer from Venezuela finally hits the mark on this 2004 recording. Accompanied by a great band (including Omar Sosa, John Santos and Gustavo Ovalles) and self-producing a set of unusual and often unexpected arrangements, Marquez has found the right framework for her unique and beautiful voice, flirting with folk, jazz and even a touch of the avant garde. Even an old chestnut like "Besame Mucho" gets a new lease on life in the hands of this able ensemble and this first class vocalist.

Listen:
Princessa de la naturale
Besame Mucho
Alma Adentro

'On her latest album vocalist Maria Marquez showcases a brilliant musical bouquet as she explores the melodies of Latin America and her Venezuelan homeland. From romantic boleros embroidered in string quartets to moody tangos dripping with nostalgic accordions, Marquez delivers original and classic compositions with a well-honed jazz sensibility and organic love and respect for her cultural heritage,' says Jesse Varela in Latin Beat

The artist's official bio:
Venezuelan chanteuse Maria Marquez shows that sensuality knows no boundaries in her forthcoming CD "Nature's Princess" (Princesa de la Naturaleza). This CD is Latin Jazz at its best with traditional and non-traditional instrumentation; fluid rhythms, and Marquez's soulful voice.

Venezuelan chanteuse Maria Marquez takes her musical cues from the myriad native and international styles- bolero to jazz, Celia Cruz to Edith Piaf- of the Caribbean capital Caracas. Her professional career began during her late teens when she formed a duo with Venezuelan composer and Latin-rock-jazz fusionist Vytas Brenner, and the pair rose to rapid national acclaim before Maria left for the U.S. during her early 20's to study voice; composition; arranging and film scoring at Boston's Berklee College of Music.

After graduation, Maria trekked cross-country to train with world-renowned vocal coach Judy Davis (Barbra Streisand, Janis Joplin, Grace Slick) in Oakland. Maria performed in a duo with jazz guitarist Joyce Cooling, the duo expanded with the participation of percussionist John Santos and keyboard player Jay Wagner, and the rest is as they say- history. Maria would become an important figure in the Latin Jazz scene in the Bay Area for the next two decades.

In the mid 80's, Maria's recordings with Synclavier virtuoso Frank Harris, including the score to Venezuelan director Calogero Salvo's 1986 film "Three by three" garnered comparisons to the work of Brazilian songstress Astrud Gilberto. One of their arrangements for a traditional "Working song" called "Canto de Pilon" from Venezuela was recorded by bassist Charlie Haden for his Grammy Award winner CD "Dream Keeper".

Maria returned to Caracas during the early 90's, and as musical programmer for jazz 95.5 FM, she assimilated the burgeoning international "world music" scene into the popular taste. In 1995, she recorded and co-produced her first solo album "De uno y otro lado" before returning to California and partaking for the next 5 years in Latin Middle Eastern fusion group Wild Mango.

She continued to develop her jazz repertoire with smaller ensembles, and in 2000 Maria Marquez completed work on her second solo record "Once Cuentos de Amor/ Eleven Love Stories" featuring 11 resurrected bolero torch song classics interpreted in Maria's inimitable jazz style. This CD was picked up for distribution and rightfully so by music magnate Chris Blackwell for his label Palm Pictures and it was released worldwide in2001.

The latest effort by Maria "Nature's Princess" (Princesa de la Naturaleza) has taken her 2 years to complete. Another self – produced record, an ambitious project which includes 30 musicians in a variety of settings, from the intimate sounds of a string quartet to large ensembles supported by a whole bateria of percussion all performed by friend and mentor John Santos.

This production has excelled people's expectations having already received wonderful reviews by the radio and press, both in the Bay Area as well as back home in Venezuela:
"There is no doubt that Nature's Princess is Marquez's best artistic effort to date. It is a modern- day imprint of a golden age."
"With an appropriate title "Nature's Princess", this full- bodied, robust album of Venezuelan traditional music intertwined with soft Jazz influence, occasionally reminiscent of Sting, is absolutely magical."
"This album plots a new path for the appreciation of Latin music within modern mediums. Absolutely gorgeous!."