Tania Maria
Tania Maria (born May 9, 1948) is a Brazilian artist, singer, composer, bandleader and piano player, singing mostly in Portuguese or English. Her Brazilian-style music is mostly vocal, sometimes pop, often jazzy, and includes samba, bossa, Afro-Latin, pop and jazz fusion.
Tania Maria | |
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Tania Maria in 2013 | |
Background information | |
Birth name | Tania Maria Correa Reis[1] |
Born | May 9, 1948 |
Origin | São Luís, Maranhão, Brazil |
Genres | Jazz, pop, MPB |
Occupation(s) | Musician, composer, bandleader |
Instruments | Piano |
Years active | 1969–present |
Labels | Concord, Capitol, Blue Note, EMI, Universal |
Website | TaniaMaria.net |
Biography
Born in São Luís, Maranhão, northern Brazil, Tania Maria began playing the piano at the age of seven, became a leader at the age of 13, when her band of professional musicians, organized by her father, won first prize in a local music contest and went on to play for dances, in clubs and on the radio. Her father, a metal worker and a gifted guitarist and singer, had encouraged her to study piano so that she could play in his weekend jam sessions, where she first absorbed the rhythms and melodies of samba, jazz, pop music and Brazilian chorinho. Since then, she has never worked in anyone else's group. She has a degree in law, married early and had children.
Maria's first album, Apresentamos, was released in Brazil in 1969, followed by Olha Quem Chega in 1971, but it was a move to France in the late 1970s that exploded her onto the international scene. At a concert in Australia, her formidable musical precision and freewheeling spirit caught the attention of the late American guitarist, Charlie Byrd, who recommended her to the late Carl Jefferson, founder of Concord Records.[2]
Tania's 1983 album Come with me started her international breakthrough with the titlesong becoming a 1980's dance-floor classic that has since been covered frequently . The poppy 1985 album Made in New York increased her popularity worldwide.
Maria has played virtually every important jazz festival in the world and has appeared on countless television and radio programmes. She has recorded more than 25 albums[3] and in 1985 was nominated for a Grammy Award in the category "Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Female".[4] She has performed at venues such as the Blue Note and festivals including the Monterey Jazz Festival in '81, '83 and '89, Saratoga Jazz Festival, JVC Jazz Fest 1991, Montreux Jazz Festival, New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Puerto Rico Heineken Jazzfest 2001, Malta Jazz Festival 2003 at Maltese Islands, Novosadski Jazz Festival 2004, Belgium's Jazz Middelheim 2007. She performed at the annual North Sea Jazz Festival in The Hague in 1978 and has returned there at least 10 times. She has played with such greats as Steve Gadd, Anthony Jackson, Sammy Figueroa and Eddie Gómez.
Discography
Albums
Year | Title | Genre | Label |
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1969 | Apresentamos | Brazilian jazz | Continental |
1971 | Olha Quem Chega | Brazilian jazz | Odeon |
1977 | Via Brasil | Brazilian jazz | Sunny Side |
1977 | Via Brasil, Vol. 2 | Brazilian jazz | Sunny Side |
1979 | Live | Brazilian jazz | Accord |
1980 | Piquant | Brazilian jazz | Concord |
1981 | Taurus | Brazilian jazz | Concord |
1983 | Come with Me | Brazilian jazz | Concord |
1984 | Love Explosion | Brazilian jazz | Concord |
1984 | The Real Tania Maria: Wild! | Brazilian jazz | Concord |
1985 | Made in New York | Brazilian jazz | EMI |
1988 | Forbidden Colors | Brazilian jazz | Capitol |
1990 | Bela Vista | Brazilian jazz | Blue Note |
1986 | Lady from Brazil | Brazilian jazz | EMI |
1993 | Outrageous | Brazilian jazz | Concord |
The Best of Tania Maria | Brazilian jazz | Blue Note | |
1995 | No Comment | Brazilian jazz | TKM |
Bluesilian | Brazilian jazz | TKM | |
1997 | Europe | Brazilian jazz | TKM |
2000 | Viva Brazil | Brazilian jazz | Concord Records |
2002 | Happiness | Brazilian jazz | Recall Records UK |
Tania Maria Live at the Blue Note | Brazilian jazz | Concord | |
2003 | Outrageously Wild | Brazilian jazz | Concord |
2004 | Olha Quem Chega (reissue) | Brazilian jazz | Import |
2005 | Tania Maria in Copenhagen (with Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen) | Brazilian jazz | Stunt |
Intimidade | Brazilian jazz | Blue Note | |
Brazil with My Soul | Brazilian jazz | Universal | |
2011 | Tempo (with Eddie Gómez) | Brazilian jazz | Naïve Records |
2012 | Canto | Brazilian jazz | Naïve Records |
Filmography
- 2008 Tanya Maria: The Beat of Brazil with Laurindo Almeida
References
- Fairweather, Digby. The Rough Guide to Jazz, Rough Guides, p. 6 (2004) - ISBN 1-84353-256-5
- About Tania Maria.
- Tania Maria, Nova Concerts International, April 12, 2012.
- Awards Database: Tania Maria