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09.10.09
STYLE & CLASS
Boogie, Soul-Funk & Disco
DJ's Frank Ryle & Sohail
Barbarellah, Nørre Farimagsgade 41
KBH K.
22.00 - 04.00 (gratis adgang)
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Der er nu 8 gæst(er) og 0 medlem(mer) online
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Interview with Mia Miata (E)
(887 total words in this text)
(read: 1533 times)
1. Your album Urban Arias is out on your own label, how come?
"Urban Arias: was released independently with creativity and creative expression in mind. I wanted to stray away from industry norms and create expressive music that pushed the limits vocally, instrumentally, and lyrically.
2. I guess it is difficult to get a big label to sign in the USA, what is your advice to other artists with the desire to get their music out?
Think independence!!!!! Signing with a small independent label or starting your own label can be the vehicle to get your music heard. Labels are important, but publicity and distribution is the key to being a big label or an indie. Once you prove to the masses that you are committed and serious with your craft, the majors may take interest to help you spread your music. At that point, it becomes an issue of investing and not a huge issue of dictation because you have established your fan base.
3. Can you describe the sound on your album "Urban Arias."
Urban Arias can be described as a fusion of Jazz, Soul, and Gospel; "Jazzy Soul." The "Jazzy Soul" sound is one that delivers a rich resonance and takes the listeners on a musical journey. It is an attempt to expand music beyond just beats and keys, and the "Jazzy Soul" sound attempts to bring music to a higher plateau.
4. Who inspired you to come up with this sound?
"Urban Arias" has born out of my love for live instrumentation and the world’s greatest jazz musicians. I am classically trained and have studied the great symphonic and operatic works, and certain instruments carry their own personalities and timbers. I choose vibraphones, acoustic bass, flamenco guitar, piano, and saxophone because these instruments have very distinctive sound and complement the natural vibrato in my voice. Some of these instruments are rarely found in music today. Therefore, I felt that the human ear was ready for something different.
5. Who is playing all the different instruments on your album?
Kendall Leonard my co-producer is a master musician and he played all the instruments for the album, He is classically trained and has studied at some of the finest conservatories in the US. He has a track record of playing with some of the best talent of the world and through fate; we share similar views in music. He is scheduled to release his solo debut effort, "The Kendall Leonard Project" later this year.
6. You have a very powerful and fantastic voice how did you get so good?
As a child, I was exposed in my house hold to the great music of Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Ornette Coleman, Ahmad Jamal, Thelonious Monk, Art Blakey, Charles Mingus, Sarah Vaughn, Billy Holiday, Nina Simone, Dee Dee Bridgewater, and Nancy Wilson. I was trained in Classical vocal music for six years. I attended the Baltimore School for the Arts where I was trained in Classical Vocal Performance. A Maryland based performance arts high school with a reputation of producing some of the greatest contributors to music, theater, visual arts, and dance. Some of its graduates include Jada Pinkett-Smith, and the late Tupac Shakur. I studied the great arias of Mozart, Rossini, Puccini, and Warner. Upon graduating and continuing to college, I sought to pursue a career as a Classical soprano at Morgan State University, where I traveled to Bonn, Germany and performed Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with the Bonn Sympathy Orchestra.
7. In my review I compare you with people like Carmen Lundy, Nina Simone and Sade, do you like to be compared or is it annoying?
I am flattered to be acknowledged with such legendary artist. Carmen Lundy has been sited by Blues and Soul Magazine as "One of the world’s greatest jazz vocalists…" Nina Simone "The High Priestess of Soul" was not only known for her extraordinary voice but her commitment to the Civil Rights Movement, and Sade’s evocative style has made her a favorite among an enormously diverse audience. No, to answer your question, I am not annoyed and would love to someday be considered timeless as these great musicians are to me and many others around the world.
8. You have included a new version of a classic Negro spiritual, have people forgotten the Negro spiritual sound, you reckon?
The Negro Spiritual serves as a basis for all modern American music. Music is an expression of emotions and reflections of consciousness. The traditional Negro spirituals were songs developed from desperation and hope for the future. One must know where one is from to know where one is going. Urban Arias was my attempt to pay homage to those who came before me.
9. Where can people purchase the album Urban Arias?
Urban Arias can be purchased primarily through the internet. DustyGroove.com, CDBaby.com, Tower.com, Amazon.com; and many others.
10. Could you give us your top 10 favorite albums?
1. John Coltrane -"A Love Supreme"
2. Miles Davis - "Someday My Prince Will Come"
3. Maxwell - "Urban Hang Suite"
4. Stevie Wonder - "Songs in the Key of Life"
5. Marvin Gaye - "What’s Going On"
6. Incognito – "Positivity"
7. Sarah Vaughn - "Brazilian Romance"
8. Nina Simone - "Mississippi Goddam"
9. Sade - "Love Deluxe"
10. Lauryn Hill – "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill"
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