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Maria Schafer
With a twinkle in her eye and a dazzling, velveteen voice well-informed by the Great American Songbook, singer Maria Schafer presents a contemporary jazz voice for the 21st century and has performed in some of the biggest jazz festivals and venues in North America, Europe, and Japan while firmly establishing a home base in Los Angeles. Two years spent touring full-time as the star female vocalist of the international Glenn Miller Orchestra have cultivated an alluring and honest stage presence while her albums "To Know Love" and "No Broken Hearts" garner weekly airplay on international and domestic jazz radio stations alike, including L.A.'s KKJZ 88.1. "...leaves you wondering what she can't do." - The New York City Jazz Record "Schafer's awareness of when to embellish and when to pull on the reins stands out among the current crop of jazz singers..." - Jefferson Public Radio Ms. Schafer's creative arrangements and intimate chemistry with bandmates make even well-worn jazz standards sound fresh and her catchy originals do well to capture the human experience in a familiar way. Previously, Maria toured full-time as the featured vocalist with The World Famous Glenn Miller Orchestra for two years, enjoying the opportunity to perform for audiences across the United States, Canada, and Japan as part of the GMO Orchestra. She has also performed in Australia, Latvia, and Spain with other groups as well as bandleader for her own band. Schafer has made three albums releases on record label Marsch Music, No Broken Hearts (2019), Christmas in the City (2019), and To Know Love (2017) and can be heard as a featured vocalist on albums "So Right..." from The James Kob Experience, "Living In The Question" from sax player Eric Hirschhorn, and "Singin' In The Rain" and "Imagine", both from vocal jazz group Singcopation.
Awards
Maria has been awarded Outstanding Soloist Awards at the Next Generation Jazz Festival and Reno Jazz Festival, and for 4 consecutive years served as a leading member of vocal jazz groups which won Downbeat Student Awards for "Best Vocal Jazz Ensemble" and "Outstanding Performance". While in school she also won the Vocal category for the San Gabriel 7 Scholarship Competition as well as a Grant from the Ella Fitzgerald Foundation to attend the Riga Jazz International jazz competition in Riga, Latvia (with thanks to Christine Guter for the grant request).
Tags
Maria Schafer - Shane Savala: No Broken Hearts
by Mackenzie Horne
No Broken Hearts is special because while it could function on its own as a fond nod to tradition or a forward-thinking allusion to the modern songbook, it truly functions as a series of love letters--love letters to collaboration, the living history of strong women songwriters, and deeply personal experiences within music. Vocalist Maria Schafer and Los Angeles-based guitarist Shane Savala have collaborated on a number of projects over the course of Schafer's residence in California. An incredibly versatile musician, ...
read moreLos Angeles-Based Jazz Singer Maria Schafer Announces USA West Coast Tour
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Maria Schafer
Evocative jazz songstress and composer Maria Schafer is excited to announce her next tour of the West Coast of the USA in October 2023 spanning jazz clubs, radio stations, and performing arts centers in CA, OR, and WA. On the timing of the tour, Maria shares that this tour will “be a sneak peek of my next album featuring my newest songs, expanded instrumentation, musical alchemy, and continued musical growth. My songbook has joyously developed with original songs melding jazz ...
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"Wonderfully vintage yet profoundly new and exciting." - Musical Memoirs This Downbeat darling is just the right tonic for jaded jazz ears." - Midwest Record "A treat for anyone who considers themselves to be a Jazz aficionado, superb, smooth, evocative vocals, enveloped in equally emotive instrumentals." - Riveting Riffs "A knockout debut... leaves you wondering what she can't do." - The New York City Jazz Record "A stunning debut. Make a note of Schafer's name, because you're going to be seeing and hearing it a lot over the coming years. With a voice like hers, there are no limits to how far this exceedingly talented lady can go." - babysue Reviews A "voice full of nuance, strong in character and soaked in emotion that the audience cannot and should not deflect.” - Debbie Burke, jazz blogger “...makes you beg for more of the same
Dianne Reeves
vocals
Fred Hersch
piano
J.J. Johnson
trombone
Carmen McRae
vocals
Joni Mitchell
vocals
Oscar Peterson
piano
Gretchen Parlato
vocalsPhotos
Music
To Know Love...
From: To Know Love...By Maria Schafer
Body and Soul
From: To Know Love...By Maria Schafer
