Home » Jazz Musicians » Marta Topferova
Marta Topferova
Marta Topferova’s new album illustrates why The London Times has called her “one of the most graceful interpreters of Latin American folk music”. Recorded in Prague after a tour with her New York ensemble, “Trova” (The Troubadour Tradition), is a culmination of Marta’s love of styles such as the Cuban son and Puerto Rican bomba. Comprised of eight original and three traditional pieces, and featuring a stunning array of Cuban tres, four-string cuatro, violin, bass, percussion and tight vocal harmonies, Trova is Marta’s liveliest release to date.
A daughter of Czech actors, Marta grew up around the theater, moving from city to city with her parents behind the iron curtain. At age eleven, she immigrated to the U.S. with her mother and sister. “I was cut off from my own culture ... so starting my life over in America, I felt most drawn to the diversity of this country, the immigrants.”
During her adolescence in her new surroundings, Marta came to feel a great affinity with the Spanish language and a deep fondness for Latin music and culture, and became fluent in Spanish, her third language after Czech and English. Simultaneously, she found something essential: an anchor in music.
For eight years, between the ages of eight and fifteen, Marta performed and recorded a wide range of works by composers such as Brahms, Poulenc, Haydn, and Pergolesi with Prague’s Mlád choir and The Seattle Girls’ Choir. Subsequently, her calling directed her to a passionate study of Latin American song forms, taking voice, guitar and dance lessons, including a six-month stay in Spain. Her talent continued to blossom, and since her arrival to New York City in 1996, Marta’s music rapidly developed into a remarkable mix of Latin American folklore with undeniable hints of her eastern European heritage.
Called by the BBC as “a leading light of the nueva canción movement of today”, Marta’s elegant and profound voice has enchanted fans worldwide for over a decade.
Equally gifted as a composer and lyricist, she has written over sixty original songs and produced five albums as a leader. Her first album, “Sueño Verde”, was co-produced by Joe Boyd, whose discography includes many artists such as REM, Fairport Convention, Nick Drake, Cubanismo among others. In 2002, Marta put out a collection of Czech folk songs titled “Homage to Homeland” and in 2005 and 2006, two luminous Spanish language albums of mostly original material - “La Marea” (World Village) and “Flor Nocturna” (World Village).
Read moreTags
Marta Topferova: Sue
by AAJ Staff
Sometimes where you're headed is more important than where you came from. Such is the case with vocalist Marta Topferova, who delivers a ten-pack of soft, Latin-inflected pieces on Sueño Verde. Born and raised in Czechoslovakia, Topferova emigrated to Seattle as a youth and has subsequently relocated to New York. For this outing she gathers nine musicians, including her chief collaborator, co-composer, co-arranger, and co-producer: Enrique Lopez.
Whatever her past history, Topferova has clearly settled down in an ...
read moreCzech Singer Marta Topferova Releases "Trova"
Source:
Michael Ricci
Marta Topferova has never been easy to categorize--and that's just how she likes it. Born in the Czech Republic and now a longtime resident of New York, her music is rooted in the myriad sounds and styles of Latin America and the Caribbean. An unusual path, perhaps, but one that she's come by honestly and with great affection and devotion. Now Trova, Topferova's new release on World Village (available Tuesday, December 8, 2009), marks yet another evolution for this vocalist ...
read more
Eastern European Jazz Performers Daniel Szabo Trio and Marta Topferova at the Kimmel Center March 29
Source:
Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts
Kimmel Center Presents 2007/08 Season Sponsored by Citi
One could describe Szabo's highly original, closely bonded trio music as chamber jazz but for the additional fire and sensuality of their Hungarian blood, which keeps things as forceful as they are lyrical."--Jack Massarik, This is London entertainment guide
Hungarian pianist-composer Daniel Szabo and his Trio explore Eastern European jazz at the Kimmel Center's Perelman Theater on Saturday, March 29, 2008 at 7:30pm as part of the Mellon Jazz Up Close Goes ...
read more
“One of the most graceful interpreters of Latin American folk music”. --The Times, London
“Topferova sings with an elegant longing in her voice.” --New York Times
“A leading light of the nueva cancion movement of today”. --BBC
"A profound artist who has created intriguing musical bridges across the America’s while anchored in her Czech roots". --Mondomix
“Beautifully delicate and subtle work”. --Songlines
“A multicultural star” --Christian Science Monitor
“A fascinating musician and composer.” --World Music Central
Primary Instrument
Vocals
Willing to teach
Beginner to advanced