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Maria Neckam
Singer and composer Maria Neckam’s unparalleled sound slips across genre lines and expectations with a youthful ease that’s rare to find. Since releasing her second album as a leader, Deeper (Sunnyside Records), in 2010, her pure, fresh vocals have been acclaimed by critics around the world. To top it off, her compositions are both complex and catchy; one moment intriguing the listener with precisely executed lyrics, the next moment dropping wildly into dissonance. Hailed as “a valiant trailblazer” by JazzTimes, she moves effortlessly from idiosyncratic jazz riffs to haunting pop hooks, blending borders with skill, well-honed technique and range.
Born in a small town outside of Vienna, Austria, Maria has always been driven by music. Growing up, she loved to sing, learned many instruments, and even performed in musical theater, with a rock band, and as a singer/songwriter. Exposure to classical and opera music heavily influenced her childhood, along with pop and rock.
Maria recorded her first album, Crossing and Blending, while studying vocal jazz at the Conservatory of Amsterdam. In that international crossroads, she eagerly soaked up Scandanavian, Middle Eastern and Southeast Asian music, as well as free jazz and contemporary. She gravitated toward Indian music while studying with Sandhya Sanhana. After relocating to New York, Maria studied with Luciana Souza, Peter Eldridge, Theo Bleckmann, Kate McGarry, Nils Vigeland and Samir Chatterjee at the Manhattan School of Music, where she received her Masters of Music in 2007.
Maria was quickly snapped up by some of her own musical role models, Thomas Morgan, Dan Weiss, and David Binney. She continues to collaborate with such luminaries as the Mahavishnu Project, Jeff Ballard, Jon Cowherd, Lewis Nash, Peter Eldridge, Aaron Goldberg, Jonathan Kreisberg, Aaron Parks, Logan Richardson, Mark Guiliana, Miles Okazaki, Will Vinson, Lage Lund, Mike Moreno, and Colin Stranahan.
Maria refuses to stay within borders: aside from her accomplishments in jazz, she writes and performs straight up pop tunes under the name Milán. Even national borders don’t contain this vibrant talent, as Maria has toured in Italy, Spain, Austria, Belgium, Luxemburg, Netherlands, Germany, Canada and the US (New Orleans, Denver, Los Angeles). In New York, she performs regularly at venues such as Joe’s Pub, Jazz Gallery, Smalls, 55Bar, Rockwood Music Hall, and Cornelia Street Café.
The most recent album, Deeper, made the top 10 albums of 2010 in Le Monde, the largest newspaper in France, and on Something Else! blog. It was also one of the best “New Discoveries” of 2010 on All About Jazz, where Dan Bilowsky writes of Maria, “Her voice has a hypnotic purity that has the potential to stop people dead in their tracks.” With that exceptional voice, Maria carries her listeners and audiences between genres into breathtaking, unpredictable territory.
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Maria Neckam: Unison
by Hrayr Attarian
Vienna native and New York-based vocalist, composer and lyricist Maria Neckam is one of those rare artists whose work is accessible without being ordinary, and cerebral without being abstruse. Her third release as a leader, Unison, has both artistic originality and commercial appeal and may be the magnum opus of her short career so far. All fifteen tracks intricate Neckham originals that draw on a variety of influences. The result is less a patchwork and more a ...
read moreJazz Singer/Songwriters Part II: Maria Neckam and Tanya Balakyrska
by C. Michael Bailey
Jazz Singer/Songwriters Part I: Louise Van Aarsen and Rebecka Larsdotter" featured two new artists standing in the middle of the adult contemporary jazz vocals map. Both discs have elements of mainstream acoustic and mainstream contemporary electric jazz and feature original compositions by the singers themselves. Where Maria Neckam and Tanya Malakyrska differ is in their concerted aim to smash genre definition, making all music one. Maria NeckamUnisonSunnyside2012 Austrian ...
read moreMaria Neckam: Unison
by Dan Bilawsky
Sophisticated pop, art song and modern jazz don't often get along, but vocalist Maria Neckam is the tie that binds them. The Austrian-born, New York-based Neckam turned plenty of heads with Deeper (Sunnyside, 2010), which featured her entrancing soprano and showcased her strong songwriting skills; she returns with an equally engaging program on her sophomore outing for the Sunnyside label. Neckam refracts varied sounds and musical ideas throughout this fifteen-song program, allowing her thoughts to move in ...
read moreMaria Neckam: Deeper
by Dan Bilawsky
The music of vocalist Maria Neckam defies easy categorization. Neckam, a native Austrian living in New York since 2005, has never subscribed to the idea of belonging to one specific subset of the music world. She has brought her unique vocal talents into rock realms, classical settings, modern jazz and various other arenas and her voice has a hypnotic purity that has the potential to stop people dead in their tracks. Her music, filled with catchy vocal hooks and lyrics ...
read moreMaria Neckam: Deeper
by Raul d'Gama Rose
It's not often that a singer like Maria Neckam comes along. Blessed with a voice that she can set free as it flutters and streaks into stellar regions of music, Neckam is still able to keep it in control. She has a natural ability for heartbreaking emotion, in much the same way that Billie Holiday did. She sings flat, yet in her singing, quarter notes abound as she tells a story. Her voice soars making notes bend and flap as ...
read moreTake Five With Maria Neckam
by AAJ Staff
Meet Maria Neckam:Maria's voice is one of those you either love or hate, and so is her music. Uncompromising in her musical approach as well as performance she hits truth right at it's core and strikes a chord in you.
Her clear, airy sound has been compared to that of angels as well as wind instruments, the latter referring to her use of it as well--Maria sings like an instrumentalist plays. This is also ... read moreMaria Neckam - Deeper (2010)
Source:
Something Else!
By Mark Saleski One way to define a categorical number line of female jazz vocalists would be to put artists like Ella Fitzgerald (full of insistent smolder, fire & brimstone) at one end, and balance that with voices of pure subtlety at the otherBillie Holiday, Shirley Horn, and maybe even Norah Jones. This construct is unsatisfying, partially because nearly every singer has elements taken from either end of the scale. So what to do? Maybe the answer lies in ignoring ...
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Maria Neckam's New Album Now on Blue Music Group
Source:
All About Jazz
Austrian-New Yorker vocalist and songwriter Maria Neckam new release, 'Crossing and Blending', is now available on Blue Music Group. This remarkable 63-minute entirety features edgy original melodies by Neckam and one track by the pianist on the album, Franz von Chossy. Off Beat Magazine has reviewed 'Crossing and Blending' as an ambitious release that ranges through the breadth of her stylistic tropes and suggests that she's going to be a special voice', and Jazz.com goes even further by stating that ...
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Maria Neckam at Bar Next Door with Jon Cowherd and Thomas Morgan
Source:
Michael Ricci
Tonight, Monday, August 3rd, Maria Neckam (voice) will perform her music with Jon Cowherd (keys) and Thomas Morgan (bass) at Bar Next Door, downstairs at La Lanterna (129 MacDougal Street. subway to W4St) 8-11:30pm (3 sets. cover is $10 for the whole night)
About Maria Neckam Born in Vienna, Maria grew up surrounded by the constant presence of the city's music and rhythms. Immersed in the rich musical traditions around her she developed a deep passion for all kinds of ...
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Maria Neckam at 55 Bar on November 18th
Source:
All About Jazz
“It wasn't just the unaffected clarity or refreshing timbre of her voice, nor her remarkable range that captured my imagination; it was the fearless integrity of her musical ideas.” (jazz.com) Tuesday, November 18th at 7-9pm Maria's Music @ 55 BAR 55 Christopher Street, subway: 1 to Chr.St or A,C,E,D,B,F,V to W4 St; no cover Maria Neckam - voice and songs Lars Dietrich - alto sax Samir Zarif - tenor sax ...
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Maria Neckam Live at Bello Sguardo in NYC
Source:
All About Jazz
Something to relax... on The Day After... Maria will be singing her music for you at the beautiful Bello Sguardo (downstairs) tomorrow! 410 Amsterdam Avenue, between 79th and 80th Streets $5 cover Wednesday, November 5, 8:30pm Maria Neckam - voice and songs and piano Yotam Silberstein - guitar Zack Lober - bass This is really a lovely place to hear lovely music at and it's so convenient for all the Uptown people! ...
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Maria Neckam at Rockwood Music Hall on October 8th
Source:
All About Jazz
Singer and Composer Maria Neckam is going to have her debut show at one of New York's most popular venues next week! Wednesday, October 8, 7-8pm Maria's Music @ ROCKWOOD MUSIC HALL (196 Allen Street, between E. Houston and Stanton, take the f and v subway to 2nd ave, no cover) Maria Neckam - voice and compositions Lars Dietrich - alto sax Samir Zarif - tenor sax Jon Cowherd - ...
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Tonight! Maria Neckam Live at 55bar in NYC
Source:
All About Jazz
Tuesday, September 23, 7-9pm @ 55 BAR (55 Christopher St, 1 to Chr. St or A,C,E,B,D,F,V to W4 St) No cover. Maria Neckam - voice and songs Lars Dietrich - alto sax Samir Zarif - tenor sax Aaron Goldberg - keys Zack Lober - bass Greg Ritchie - drums Also, here's a video from Maria's last 55 Bar gig in August! Coming up: Maria's Music live @
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“a valiant trailblazer” -JazzTimes
“Neckam has crafted one of the most appealing, genre- crossing vocal albums to hit the street in 2010.“
“her voice has a hypnotic purity that has the potential to stop people dead in their tracks.” -All About Jazz
“It’s going to be difficult for her listeners to avoid finding her irresistibly charming.” -PopMatters
“It’s not often that a singer like Maria Neckam comes along. Blessed with a voice that she can set free as it flutters and streaks into stellar regions of music, Neckam is still able to keep it in control. She has a natural ability for heartbreaking emotion, in much the same way that Billie Holiday did.”