Maria Jacobs

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. She has released three albums: No Frills, Free As A Dove and Chasing Dreams. 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. While back in the Midwest, Maria performed at the Elmhurst Jazz Festival with The Kent State Jazz Band, and won the attention of judges Mike Abene, Dennis Mackrel and Byron Stripling. She was then invited by Byron Stripling to perform with him and the Columbus Jazz Orchestra. 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 and is heard on traditional an Internet radio stations throughout the world. 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. 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. Other musicians she has recorded and performed with include: Tony Dumas, Ralph Penland, Greg Poree, Michael Bluestein, Jerry White, Bob Conti, Octavio Bailly, Ted Howe, Ed Czach, Adam Cohen, Bili Redd, Joe Corerro, Richard Sherman, Sherry Luchette, Jack Bone, John Stuart, Dan Maier, Joe Hunter, Greg Bandy, Drene Ivy, Kevin Muhammed, Dave Thomas and Mike Jacobs. Maria still performs in New York, Los Angeles, as well as Milwaukee, Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio. Free As A Dove is heard world wide on Internet stations and traditional radio stations mostly in Los Angeles. Chasing Dreams can also be heard on these same stations including: WKHR, WCLV, KJAZ, KPFK, UNLV, WWOZ, WDNA, WUSF, WEMU, WTEB, WRTI, WAER to name a few. Also on Solar Radio with Bruce Nazarian at: www. thedigitalguy.net and with Bob Parlocha on www.jazzwithbobparlocha.com Both CD's may be purchased on Amazon, iTunes or cdbaby. For more information on Maria please continue browsing this website: www.mariajacobs.com