Jade Maze

Jade Maze - My Favourite Colour Is Blue - 2000 - No Genre Records

Jade is back with a triple SSS -- sassy, sexy, and strong!On her new CD My favorite color is blue we hear a confident, seasoned Jade. She's ready to lead the way down her path. First stop, the blues -- the root of her musical soul. Yes, she's shouting it out to the whole world. Though the CD is steeped in tradition with classics such as "Further on Up the Road" and "Rather Go Blind", Jade is coming at it with a full circle approach. Hers are not the down-and-out-I'm-at-your-mercy type of blues: Jade is sick and tired and not going to take it anymore as is so clearly stated in her heavy-hitting originals "Move On" and "Tired of Loving You"."Refreshing" is the word that comes to mind when I listen to her. The voice is big, yet refined. The musical arrangements complement her singing perfectly with smooth horns, tinkling ivories, a booming B-3 and a driving rhythm section layed down by some of Chicago's finest blues players. What you've got here is a lot of class, a lot of soul -- a must for your CD collection.Check it out © 1996 - 2010 CD Universe http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=1962435&style=music

The Improper Bostonian said that Jade Maze has "a voice so smooth you could skate on it". Well, "My Favourite Colour Is Blue" demonstrates that description perfectly. The album is primarily blues/R&B and has great arrangements. Ten good tracks with six covers, including Billy Foster's "I'd Rather Go Blind", Don Robey's "I Smell Trouble", Bobby "Blue" Bland's "Poverty, and Joe Veasey & Don Robey's "Further on Up the Road". Four of the tracks are originals, including "Move On" and "Tired of Loving You". Buy her "Beat of Your Soul" album and promote this lady. For music in the same genre, search this blog for music by Kyla Brox

TRACKS

Poverty
I Smell Trouble
The Dark Side
My Love Will Never Die
You Weren't Ready
Move On
Yes to the Devil
Tired of Loving You
Further on Up the Road

MUSICIANS: LIST REQUIRED

ABOUT JADE MAZE

Born Heather Maze in Minneapolis, and raised in California, this singer/songwriter has been making quite a name for herself in the Chicago area lately, JM has an incredible stage presence (only in part due to her six foot stature) and a great relationship with the audience. Her shows are always entertaining -- for passion alone, even if you're not a big fan of soul and R&B. Her powerful, melodic voice voice carries her show, but her back-up band is very good, too. They know exactly when to come in to complement the vocals. Try and catch her show soon before she becomes a mega-ultra-superstar and you have to pay $50 a pop for tickets. "This blows away anything on WGCI." says Illinois Entertainer's Mike Sturgess. "The remarkably versatile singer/songwriter is a raw R&B vocalist, a sultry chanteuse, and carefree pop singer all at one -- sometimes childishly playful, always melodically inventive, and genuinely soulful." The Improper Bostonian agrees, adding "This woman has a voice so smooth you could skate on it." Her debut CD, Beat of Your Soul was released in Feburary 1996, followed by the recent Walking Revolution. © Copyright 2010 Sun-Times Media, LLC http://www.centerstagechicago.com/music/whoswho/JadeMaze.html

BIO

There are certain singers whom we feel that we know, from the very first time we hear them. Jade Maze is that kind of singer. Though she defies stereotypes and does not reflect any one of her listening audience exactly, her vocal delivery offers a musicality and depth of feeling that would be unusual in any era. She makes each song sound like a story, and leaves you feeling relaxed whether singing a sad or happy song because of the peaceful, “realized” quality her voice has. This is clearly a woman who has been through the fire and come out more than okay. The Chicago-based artist has sung professionally since the age of nineteen. Her early recordings give you a raw peak at her estimable skills as a songwriter and singer. With age comes a sophisticated twist on her smooth style, which blends elements of jazz, soul, and pop erasing musical boundaries in the process. Jade Maze was born February 20th in Minneapolis, Minnesota. When she was five years old, Jade, her mom MaryJane and her sister Holly moved to Oakland, California. Jade’s earliest musical influences came from her mother's extensive jazz LP collection and from the funk and pop of the early 70’s. She always knew she wanted to sing, write music and play the piano, but didn’t pursue her goals actively until she moved back to Minneapolis at the age of eighteen. When Maze was 15, she ran away from home and went through a series of harrowing experiences not really landing back on her feet until she moved back to Minneapolis. There she tried out for the original Star Search and landed a gig touring with the Minneapolis Jazz Machine in Germany and France. In 1986 she moved to Santa Barbara and became the lead female singer in a Motown review band. Her original material kept pulling at her, and Jade broke off and formed her own blues/R&B band in 1988. Frustration set in as she realized that her songwriting was becoming more involved and she didn’t have the tools to communicate it clearly to other musicians. This compelled her to sign up as a music major at Santa Barbara City College in 1989. Things were fabulous for a few years, but divorce and hardship forced her to drop out. Maze moved to Boston in 1992 to start anew. She became a fixture on the scene for the next two years in both the jazz and pop venues. This is where her original music became truly defined. Audiences loved to witness her emotionally charged performances, and she always surrounded herself with masterful, innovative musicians. Jade moved to Chicago in 1994 making a big splash on the jazz and poetry scenes. She started off with a bang, but relationship problems and personal crisis always kept her musical career on a rollercoaster ride. She stopped playing altogether in 1998 and wrote the first draft of her book "Walk Until Sunrise". She has been making sporadic appearances at Katerina’s and as a guest artist in festivals and on the radio over the years. Jade joined the Apostolic Church of God where she sings in the Sanctuary Choir and solos singing her own music as well as standard Gospel songs. Jade also went back to school in 2000 graduating with honors, summa cum laude, in 2004 from Northeastern Illinois University. She is the vocal coach at Pressure Point Recording, the publicity specialist for the music programming at Northeastern Illinois University, directs the children’s choir at the Apostolic Church of God, teaches vocal technique at the Merit School of Music, and has her own private studio. Jade Maze just earned her Master of Music degree in vocal performance from Northwestern University in June 2008. She is working on two new cds. We'll keep you posted. © 2010 Jade Maze http://www.jademaze.com/bio.html