Listen free to Mara's new CD, What Are You?
Check out Mara's first CD, Life's a Ball
Mara Levi (Mah' ruh Lee' vee) was born in Ohio where music was a part of her life from an early age. Mara went to Amherst College where she studied jazz composition and arranged popular music for her a cappella group, sang in the choir, all the while playing bass in a rock and roll band ( kid sampson ).
Mara began her solo musical career in 2002 after Kid Sampson broke up. Her first solo CD, "Life's a Ball," reflects her rock and roll upbringing as well as her folk sensibilities. Mara's music has evolved to encompass not only pop and folk music, but her jazz and classical roots as well. Mara plays Smart Pop Music: Music that is catchy and accessible, but also intricate and smart. She sings about politics, love, and stalking celebrities, all with characteristic wit and signature complexity.
Mara's second solo CD, "What Are You?" is a departure from the style of her first solo release. Intentionally eclectic, the album and its title directly confront the notion that anyone can be easily defined, or that people should be expected to have an answer to the question, "What Are You?" Mara recorded every track on the album from her home in DC, using only instruments that she could play herself. The result is an album that sounds less like top-40 radio, and more like a reflection of Mara's varied musical interests. Many of the background vocals were arranged to mimic vocal groups from the '40s and '50s; bass parts run the gamut from simple bluegrass to actual countermelodies; improvised trumpet and vocal parts join open voicings of common chords to add elements of jazz; one song takes its structure and background vocals directly from Johannes Brahms; old and new voicings and sounds combine to give the album a complex and very human range and diversity.
More information, pictures, and merchandise is available at maralevi.com. Thanks for listening.
Join Mara's Mailing List and get updates on when she's playing in your town!
