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Maria Farinha is internationally
recognized as one of the foremost singers of Brazilian Jazz and Bossa Nova. Since
the '80s at the Night Stage in Cambridge, Boston- USA, and also her appearance at
the City Jazz, Florida-USA, she has been refining the art of interpreting her own
outstanding compositions and the songs of composers like the late Tom Jobim, creator
of Brazil's Bossa Nova music movement. She studied at Berklee College of Music,
Rollins College and University of South Florida-USA, and York University, Canada. |
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A native of Sao Paulo (Brazil),
she began classical music studies as a young child. She first played piano professionally
at the age of 16, and her career began to soar in the late 1980s with the rise of
her new blended style of Brazilian Jazz. She studied at Berklee College of Music,
Rollins College and University of South Florida-USA. She studied voice with Novie
Greene (Florida-USA) and Helly Anne Caram (Sao Paulo-Brazil). Pre-eminent in Brazil
and USA for more than 20 years, Farinha is recognized world-wide as one of the definitive
Brazilian Jazz vocalists of her generation, one of The Best Brazilian Divas and
one of The Best Latin Divas (Mark Holston for Hispanic Magazine-California,USA).
A dynamically talented composer, songwriter, singer, teacher and producer whose
ability to blend Samba and Jazz sensibilities is unrivaled. She has appeared at
many of American's Jazz festivals, and throughout Brazil.
She has worked with many
of Brazil's top stars, including Manfredo Fest, Romero Lubambo, Gilberto Gil and
with other jazz artists such as Arturo Sandoval, Danny Gottlieb, Giovanni Hidalgo,
Richie Zellon, Richard Drexler. In Brazil, she has worked with Nailor Azevedo (Proveta),
Thiago do Espirito Santo, Lupa Santiago, Sizao Machado, Da Lua and Silvia Goes among
others. Her own 2002 recording, "Endless Samba", featured tributes to Tom Jobim,
Edu Lobo, Chico Buarque, Armando Manzanero as well as her own compositions in the
genre of Bossa Nova and Brazilian Jazz. This recording is well acclaimed by the
international media and considered a master piece of Brazilian Jazz. Her debut album
"Planeta Banana" was well acclaimed by critic Hilarey Gray from "JazzTime Magazine",
and by Scott Yanow head editor of "All Music Guide to Jazz". In the beginning of
2007 Maria released a new album "Kiss of Love" already acclaimed by Vinicius Mesquita,
head editor of Jazz +Magazine. She had taught voice, and Jazz ensembles, at Berklee
College of Music subsidiary in Sao Paulo, Brazil, for about two and a half years.
She just relocated to Toronto, Canada, where she is launching her career as teacher
and performer.
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