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NEW SOUND OF SOUL SERIES: MAYA AZUCENA Blue Note May 24th 2010

When: Monday, May 24th at 8 pm

Where: Blue Note

Source: eventful.com

Added by: ryan 5 months ago

Tags: live music, concerts, new york

Description FEATURING: Maya Azucena, vocals Christian Ver Halen, guitar Other musicians, TBA Often described as the "hardest working artist I know," Maya Azucena has planted the seeds for her burgeoning career by touring around the world. To date, she's shared stages or been on bills with legendary artists, vets and newcomers from the worlds of R&B, Soul, Hip Hop, Jazz, and Rock. The list of artists she's performed with is a who's who, such as Roberta Flack, Roy Ayers, Vernon Reid, Stephen Marley, Martin Luther, Jaguar Wright, Joss Stone, Leon Ware, Richard Bona, Bilal, Lupe Fiasco, Big Daddy Kane, the Isley Brothers, Gladys Knight, Anthony Hamilton, Platinum Pied Pipers, and John Legend comprise the partial list. In addition to criss-crossing the US with riveting performances, she's toured cities in China, Philippines, Canada, Italy, and England as well as Stockholm, Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Croatia, where Croatian superstar, Gibonni enlisted Maya's vocal talents for a track named "Andejo U Tebi" (''Angel In You'') that consequently won two Croatian Grammy awards (or PORIN, as they are called). The critical acclaim for Maya has been worldwide and diverse in its acknowledgement of her undeniable talent. Maya's soaring and sensual performance is featured on producer/songwriter (and son of the legendary Bob), Stephen Marley's track, "Let Her Dance," from his latest Grammy winning Universal/Tuff Gong release "Mind Control." An upcoming single with popular dance producer Bob Sinclair promises radio play. Upcoming recording collaborations with HipHop artists in the underground scene include Immortal Technique, Cheeks (Lost Boys), Dres (Black Sheep), Hasan Salaam, Doujah Raze, and more. Maya recently had the Number 3 spot on BILLBOARD'S Hot Club Dance chart with the single, "Make It Happen" on Kult Records. Her recent Jason Fisher-directed video, "Set you Free," is on rotation at BET-J. Her voice may even have grabbed your attention through the national NAIR commercials in "The Less You Wear" and "Short Shorts" campaigns plus others like Gillette, Johnson & Johnson, Icy Hot, Macy's INC, Mike's Hard Lemonade, and Longhorn Steakhouse. Her focus, however, lies with her own band that has built an avid following throughout the world wherever they've traveled. Her sound has been compared to Roberta Flack, Chaka Kahn, Lauryn Hill and Jill Scott. What lies in common between all the comparisons is the high energy, excellent live show and huge range. In line with her belief that music is a tool for healing and activism, she supports humanitarian causes with her voice. Maya sang on Washington DC's historic Mall at the Save Darfur Rally against genocide in the Sudan, in solidarity with national activists and celebrities such as Barack Obama, Al Sharpton, and George Clooney. She was commissioned to write two original songs for IFC documentary Lockdown USA; was invited two years in a row to be the official post-race entertainment at the Susan G Komen Race for the Cure in NYC's Central Park; and produced Hope Night, a night of domestic abuse awareness which included NY's Governor David Paterson as a one of the speakers. As Performing Songwriter Magazine puts it: "Maya Who?! Won't be a question people ask for long."