Hi-Res Artist Photo (1.9 MB, 300 dpi 6" x 4" Ross Pelton)

Mariah Parker  has been playing music from the time she could reach the keys on the grand piano in her family home. While completing her degree in music at UC Santa Cruz, she worked with ethnomusicologist Fred Lieberman and drummer Mickey Hart on the “Planet Drum” project and became fascinated with the possibilities of bridging musical concepts from different traditions. She has performed her original compositions in festivals in the US and Europe. A gifted composer and band leader, she released her first solo recording of her compositions, “Sangria,” in February of 2009. This release received extensive airplay and critical acclaim worldwide.

“Dazzling…. Parker’s subtle and sensuous sounds reflect exotic flavors of India, the Middle East and Latin America.” — PALO ALTO DAILY NEWS

Hi-Res Band Photo (1.1MB, 5.8"x3.5") Shown: Mariah Parker, Kash Killion, Matthew Montfort, Michaelle Goerlitz, Paul McCandless, Brian Rice, and Ian Dogole at Throckmorton Theatre, Mill Valley

Contributing to the unique sound of this recording, Mariah's ensemble includes: Matthew Montfort, trailblazing pioneer of scalloped fretboard guitar (an instrument combining qualities of the South Indian vina and the steel string guitar); Paul McCandless, Grammy Award winning woodwind virtuoso; Ian Dogole, multipercussionist, bandleader, educator, recording artist, composer and producer who has recorded and performed with artists such as Ancient Future, Hamza el Din, Tito La Rosa, and Alex DeGrassi; Brian Rice, versatile percussionist with players such as Mike Marshall; Duru Demetrius, latin percussionist with jazz icons such as Joe Henderson and Herbie Hancock; Debopriyo Sarkar, a sensational tabla player from Kolkata and a senior disciple of tabla maestro Pandit Anindo Chatterjee; Michaelle Goerlitz, talented percussionist with a focus on Brazilian, Afro Cuban, Venezuelan and Peruvian rhythms whowas a founding member of the Blazing Redheads and Wild Mango; Kash Killion, first-call bass player and multi-instrumentalist with Sun Ra Arkestra and Cecil Taylor; and Fred Randolph, an in-demand bass player as well as an accomplished composer, arranger, and educator. who has performed with Maria Muldaur, Dan Hicks, Contemporary Jazz Orchestra, Collective West Jazz Orchestra, Sandy Cressman's Homenagem Brasileira, Kenny Washington, Marcos Silva, Charged Particles, Melanie O'Reilly, Al Molina, Terrence Brewer, Akira Tana, and Frank Martin.

Reviews

"Marin may be known as a rock 'n' roll county, but it's also home to some of the foremost musicians in global fusion — a form of acoustic jazz that requires melodic invention, masterful musicianship and fearless improvisation. Eight of the best players on the planet are featured on pianist Mariah Parker's new album, "Indo Latin Jazz Live in Concert," recorded at Yoshi's in Oakland, Berkeley's Freight & Salvage, the 142 Throckmorton Theater in Mill Valley and Bob Weir's TRI Studios in San Rafael. On this dazzling record, Parker, who has worked with Grateful Dead drummer Mickey Hart on his "Planet Drum" project, leads a stellar ensemble of reed master Paul McCandless, best known as a founder of the pioneering acoustic jazz group Oregon; guitarist Matthew Montfort, who plays with Parker in the distinguished world fusion group Ancient Future; Marin percussion master Ian Dogole, bassists Fred Randolph and Kash Killion, percussionist Brian Rice, tabla maestro Debopriyo Sarkar and conga player Duru Demetrius. Parker, who holds a degree in music from UC Santa Cruz, wrote the eight instrumental compositions on this exquisite collection of pieces that fuse Latin rhythms with influences from South America and India with a dash of straight-up American jazz. It's an intoxicating blend of East and West performed by musicians of astounding virtuosity. On tunes such as 'Close Passage' and the lively 'Sangria,' for example, Montfort, playing a seldom-heard scalloped fretboard guitar, engages in musical conversations with McCandless as Parker and company create a sonic forum for the soloists' engrossing calls and responses. Like all the best jazz bands, this group is as disciplined as it is innovative, stopping on a dime when the composition calls for it and soaring into gorgeous landscapes of free association the next moment that are as pleasing as they are adventurous. This is sophisticated stuff, an album of global fusion performed by a group with character, charisma and the confidence that comes across when world-class musicians at the top of their games come together and create magic in the here and now of a live performance." — Paul Liberatore, Marin Independent Journal