I am a performing, writing and producing musician. I have my own studio where I coach songwriters, produce demos, transcribe music, write lead sheets and teach music lessons..
Maria Barlett is in the simplest sense, a singer-songwriter. She began and has come back 'round to seminal acoustic, narrative writing style which might evoke in the listener a response one might experience from a Joni Mitchell, a Janis Ian or more contemporaneously, a Sharon Van Etten.
She is a student of the tradition of the classic American gal singers of the past century. First exposed to the great "standards" while listening in on her mother, iconic Memphis deejay Donna Barlett as she broadcast her radio show from the Mid-City Building studios of WHER. Through the musicianship of her mom, uncles, and their friends Maria's ethos was inundated with the "Memphis Sound" they helped create as studio musicians at Sam Phillips Recording Service (the iconic, still-active studio of which Sun Studio/Records was precursor) Maria studied at the Frost Conservatory of Music at the University of Miami, a bastion of world-class Jazz education. It was at Miami that she began to incorporate choral, art-song, and literary influences into her songwriting. Later, she continued her musical growth under the tutelage of legendary jazz man Hal Shaefer, whose vocal coaching and stellar arrangements enhanced the careers of Judy Garland, Marilyn Monroe, Barbra Streisand, Peggy Lee and a host of other truly great singers (check out www.halshaefer.com). With Hal, Maria developed her cabaret-style programs “Standard Fare: A Banquet of the American Songbook" and "A Bouquet of Love Songs" which she has performed for happy audiences both foreign and domestic.
As a studio musician, Maria has worked in many of the principal studios of the Southeastern US, including Criteria,Miami, Media General (the infamous jingle factory) and Sam Phillips Recording Service, Memphis. She is also a seasoned international jazz performer, having written, recorded and sung for various UN sponsored conferences, art festivals and and audiences in Eastern Europe.
Work Terms
Flexible, as I have my own studio and work space. I charge per project at roughly $60 an hour, unless I have to hire additional talent. Describe your project to me and we shall come up with an estimate!
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