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Maria Jacobs

Maria is a Cleveland-born, formerly LA based jazz an R&B vocalist with seven albums to her credit. She is a national recording artist who has charted on the Groove Jazz Charts and she is also the Adjunct Professor of Applied Vocal Jazz at Kent State.

About Me

Maria Jacobs is an American Jazz artist, born of Syrian Lebanese and Armenian descent. She was raised in Cleveland, Ohio. Maria is a national Traditional and Smooth Jazz recording artist, author, licensed music educator, national voice over artist and the Adjunct Professor of Applied Vocal Jazz at Kent State University. She is also Principal Conductor of The Open Tone Music Academy who now partners with Jazz At Lincoln Center. She is also a lead vocalist for their parent organization, the acclaimed Jazz Heritage Orchestra, where musicians from around the world come to perform.

This former traffic reporter and disc jockey lived in Los Angeles for twelve years and sang prestigious venues such as The Langham Huntington (formerly the Ritz Carlton,) The Four Seasons in Westlake Village, Chaya of Beverly Hills, B.B. Kings Blues Club and The Torrance Civic Center to name a few.

She recorded with several well-known artists including Alphonso Johnson and Ndugu Chancler of Weather Report. Maria has co-written and recorded with platinum selling writer/producer Tommy Coster and soloed with acclaimed keyboardist/songwriter Lafayette Carthon and FAITH. She has opened for acts like jazz trumpeter/songwriter Chuck Mangione (The Coach House, San Juan Capistrano,) jazz singer/songwriter Bob Dorough (Columbus, Ohio), Average White Band and Loose Ends.

Other acclaimed artists Maria has worked with include Music Director Damien Sneed (Wynton Marsalis), whom she was also a featured soloist during the Cleveland premier of the Abyssinian Mass, Rodrick Dixon, Alfreda Burke (Broadway), William Henry Caldwell and Robert Porco (Cleveland Orchestra.)

Maria has released eight solo albums: No Frills, Free As A Dove, Chasing Dreams, Art of the Duo and Here Comes Winter, Lucky Girl, and Hold On Your Heart, a compilation album of her first six, which includes the newly recorded original title track, and Bootleggin' At The Bop Stop. She performs in Los Angeles, New York, Detroit and some historic Cleveland venues including Severance Hall Playhouse Square, Nighttown, Blu Jazz, the House of Blues, The Bop Stop and The TV8 Morning Show.

Maria’s jazz albums have received wonderful reviews from national jazz critic and author Scott Yanow. Maria has written over 100 songs and is a royalty earning member of ASCAP. Maria has presented master classes in songwriting at The Music Settlement and pop vocal technique at Kent State University - Stark Campus. She is a 2016 inductee to the Brooklyn High School Hall of Fame, her Alma Mater. Her albums can be found on iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, and Apple Music, Spotify, and Pandora to name a few.

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My Jazz Story

I love jazz because...it is the ultimate expression of freedom I was first exposed to jazz by my father, a drummer I met Nancy Wilson who sang briefly with me when she visited a club I was singing in. The best show I ever attended was Ella Fitzgerald and Keeter Best at the Tri C Jazz Fest The first jazz record I bought was Ella Fitzgerald's Mack The Knife, Live in Berlin My advice to new listeners...Listen to everything! Or whatever else you have in mind.

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