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X-WR-CALNAME:THE NEW SOUND OF SOUL SERIES: MAYA AZUCENA in New York Ci
	ty at Blue Note - Eventful
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART:20080512T200000
DTSTAMP:20080511T091751Z
SUMMARY:THE NEW SOUND OF SOUL SERIES: MAYA AZUCENA
DESCRIPTION: FEATURING: Maya Azucena\, vocals Christian Ver Halen\, gu
	itar Chris Rob\, piano/keys/vocals Solomon Dorsey\, bass Ive 09\, drum
	s Lakecia Benjamin\, sax Rashida Bryant\, vocals Honey LaRochelle\, vo
	cals Hasan Salaam\, special guest MC  When Brooklyn singer/songwriter 
	Maya Azucena released her solid\, soulfully funky\, debut CD\, aptly t
	itled Maya Who?!\, it was meant to playfully address how many responde
	d to hearing her exotic surname for the first time. However\, after he
	aring her music or seeing her perform\, that question was quickly spun
	 to echo those keenly wanting to know who this strikingly talented new
	 artist on the scene was. They were no doubt quick to discover what ha
	s been described as her "powerfully compelling voice" which "echoes of
	 old-school divas\, like Chaka Khan and Roberta Flack." (as quoted fro
	m Village Voice and NY Post respectively). "I sing what I mean and wha
	t I feel from the bottom of my heart\," says Maya with an undeniable t
	one of sincerity and it undoubtedly comes through in all she does as i
	t has earned her streams of love\, admiration\, respect and opportunit
	y. CDBaby.com\, the well-regarded online music store where Maya's inte
	rnationally acclaimed debut CD\, Maya Who?!\, remains in the Urban/R&B
	 Top Sellers list\, was encouraged to say "This soul/R&B/hip hop album
	 is a fantastic launching point for a young woman with a bright and lo
	ng career ahead of her." Maya's 2007 sophomore release\, Junkyard Jewe
	l\, has earned accolades in such reputable publications as Recording M
	agazine and Billboard. After self-distributing her debut\, it was a ne
	wfound relationship with Purpose Records that brought Junkyard Jewel t
	o the national retailers in September. The album\, produced by Andre F
	ratto of Great Waters Productions\, is fueled by the guitar work and s
	tring arrangements of Christian Ver Halen\, (Maya's main song collabor
	ator)\, and a solid band consisting of percussionist Ivan Katz\, bassi
	st Jason DiMatteo\, violinist Tarrah Reynolds and cellist David Gotay.
	 Maya's expressive voice shines on the breezy mid-tempo "Set You Free\
	," the heart wrenched "Runaway Blues\," and the soulful love song "Lik
	e No Other." Ballads such as "Wash Over" and the title cut "Junkyard J
	ewel" put Maya's soulful voice above the rest. Her rendition of Leonar
	d Cohen's "Hallelujah" has been a fan favorite at shows and now\, fina
	lly recorded\, is notable\, inspiring\, and spine-tingling. Maya descr
	ibes her offering as "a collection of songs that express my personal f
	eelings about the things I've lived through\, the world I see around m
	e\, and the hope and faith I live by." Not only has a burgeoning résum
	é of impressive accomplishments been the result of her independent ven
	tures\, but also a resounding buzz often reserved for those touted as 
	a star in the making. The range of these accomplishments is a reflecti
	on of the truly creative artist Maya is\, and the enormous ability she
	 possesses\, proving the buzz is certainly warranted. AllHipHop.com re
	cently named the one-time aspiring actress "Best Alternative Artist of
	 the Year\," while Soultracks.com has touted her as a "Best Female Voc
	alist of the Year" nominee two years in a row\, adding "Best Album" an
	d "Song of the Year" nominations for the 2007 Soul Tracks Readers Choi
	ce Awards. In the process of planting seeds for her burgeoning career\
	, Maya Azucena has shared stages or been on bills with legendary artis
	ts\, vets and newcomers from the worlds of R&B\, Soul\, Hip Hop\, Jazz
	\, Rock and more. Artists such as Roberta Flack\, Roy Ayers\, Vernon R
	eid\, Stephen Marley\, Martin Luther\, Jaguar Wright\, Joss Stone\, Le
	on Ware\, Richard Bona\, Bilal\, Lupe Fiasco\, Big Daddy Kane\, the Is
	ley Brothers\, Gladys Knight\, Anthony Hamilton\, Platinum Pied Pipers
	\, and John Legend comprise the partial list. In addition to criss-cro
	ssing the US with riveting performances\, she's toured cities in Canad
	a\, Italy\, and England as well as Stockholm\, Amsterdam\, Rotterdam a
	nd Croatia where Croatian superstar\, Gibonni enlisted Maya's vocal ta
	lents for a track named\, "Andejo U Tebi" (''Angel In You'') on his la
	test CD. As a result of their collaboration\, the song garnered 2 Croa
	tian Grammy awards (or PORIN\, as they are called) and a stellar perfo
	rmance at the televised ceremony. Maya's soaring and sensual performan
	ce is featured on Grammy-winning producer/songwriter (and son of the l
	egendary Bob)\, Stephen Marley's track\, "Let Her Dance\," from his la
	test Universal/Tuff Gong release "Mind Control." Maya even recently ha
	d the Number 3 spot on BILLBOARD'S Hot Club Dance chart with the singl
	e\, "Make It Happen" on Kult Records. Her new Jason Fisher-directed vi
	deo is on rotation at BET-J. And\, there is an ever-growing list of co
	llaborations with notable international music producers such as Devo S
	pringsteen\, DJ Bob Sinclair\, Stephen Marley\, Jonathan Peters and Ri
	ch Medina\, as well as various artists\, rappers and DJs. Her voice ma
	y even have grabbed your attention through the national NAIR commercia
	ls in "The Less You Wear" and "Short Shorts" campaigns plus others lik
	e Johnson & Johnson\, Icy Hot\, Macy's INC\, Mike's Hard Lemonade\, an
	d Longhorn Steakhouse. All that Maya Azucena has done thus far is inde
	ed impressive. Not merely by the amount of accomplishments she has ach
	ieved\, but because of the realization of something taking place that 
	means far more to her. That something is growth. On the back cover of 
	her debut CD she then wrote\, "I am a work in progress." This was both
	 a refreshing and revealing statement. For one\, she was being incredi
	bly modest\, for even then she displayed great ability\, poise\, and p
	rofessionalism that immediately hoisted her among the premiere artists
	 to watch on the soul scene. But it was also a declaration from the st
	art that she is a sincere\, creative artist first\, driven by the desi
	re to move an audience emotionally and physically - challenging hersel
	f each time to explore ways to do it differently- do it better. ARE YO
	U READY TO EXPLORE THE "JEWEL"? www.JUNKYARDJEWEL.com 
LOCATION:Blue Note @ New York, United States
SEQUENCE:1210497471
UID:E0-001-009711349-1
URL:http://eventful.com/E0-001-009711349-1
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