MUSIC -
Mariah Parker, composer and multi-instrumentalist
From Southern California, a music graduate of UC Santa Cruz. Mariah's music
is described as blending "the driving rhythmic syncopations of Latin jazz
with the entrancing, asymmetrical meters of East India." With the release
of her first CD "Sangria", Mariah touches on the musical sounds of many
cultures, drawing special inspiration from Brazil,
Cuba, Spain and India. Her first instrument was the piano, but she
"fell in love with the sound of the Santur" when she "heard it drifting
across the UCSC campus one day", and since has pursued the mastery of it.
Mariah has performed with numerous world music groups at festivals around
the globe. From these associations, she has called on musicians to
accompany her on her debut 'Sangria" CD.
Tracks from the Sangria CD are available on iTunes beginning October 14th, 2008. It is
also available on the Ancient-Future website.
Click here for more info.
Link to  .
Questions about Mariah's music and the release of the
"Sangria" CD. Following the Q&A are the liner notes and images from
her CD Onesheet
DCB: Where are you
from originally?
MP: I grew up in southern California, right in the heart of ultra
conservative Orange County. I always felt like a fish out of water in that
conservative environment, so it wasn’t till I came to the Bay area in my early
20s that I felt like I’d arrived home.
DCB: Growing up, what types of music were you exposed to?
MP:
In my
teens I listened to folk, rock n’ roll and blues. Listening to Oregon though,
with their fusion of world music and jazz sensibilities, really expanded my
musical world. I was also exposed to some classical music as well and
developed an early appreciation for the impressionistic composers like
Debussy, Ravel and Satie.
DCB: When did you develop your interest in jazz?
MP:
I was in
my twenties when I started listening to jazz. My first live jazz experience
was seeing McCoy Tyner in a club in New York, and after that I was hooked.
DCB: Whose music influenced this the most?
MP: Keith Jarrett, McCoy Tyner, Bill Evans
and Chick Corea were major influences back
then.
DCB: What musician was responsible for your interest in the Santur?
MP: I
fell in love with the sound of the santur when I heard it drifting across the UCSC campus one day, and instantly knew I had to play it. It was after I had
gotten my first instrument that I discovered Shivkumar Sharma, the renowned
Indian master of the instrument.
DCB: What inspired you to pursue playing
it (the Santur)?
MP: The santur had such an unusual voice and it simply spoke to me. At that time
I was finishing my music degree and playing in several world music groups. Seeing that the santur
was really the ancestor of the piano, it seemed like the natural next step for me. With the piano, the
sound is created by hammered strings, triggered by the fingers striking the keys. With the santur, the
strings are played directly by the delicate hammers, creating a beautiful shimmering sound. I also
liked the idea of a portable fully chromatic instrument that could blend well within different musical
contexts.
DCB: Who were your mentors or
instructors or was this a skill you developed on your own?
MP: I’ve
studied with Alan Kushan, as well as with Arshad Syed, a disciple of Pandit Shivkumar
Sharma’s and also a member of Ancient Future.
DCB: Your bio says you have worked and studied with many musicians over
the years and that you received your music degree from UC Santa Cruz. Were you
studying with Art Lande and Rebeca Mauléon when you were attending classes
there or did this come after your graduation?
MP:
No, I
was studying at the time with Allaudin Matthieu. It was later that I worked
with Rebeca and took some workshops with Art Lande.
DCB: What world music groups did you perform with before "Ancient Future"?
MP: Dandaro (Shona marimba band), UCSC West Javanese gamelan led by Pa Undang Sumarna, and Phoenix Spring Ensemble.
DCB: Additionally, I know that you are on other CDs that are out. Can
you comment on the discography and links?
MP: Desert Dreams of Light by Phoenix Spring Ensemble (© 2002) and
Seven Serenades for Scalloped Fretboard Guitar by Matthew Montfort (© 2008). This CD is scheduled for release October 14th, 2008 as well and includes the original recording of Sangria, arranged as a delicate trio for santur, scalloped fretboard guitar and violin.
(the link to Seven Serenades is
http://ancient-future.com/serenade.html)
DCB: When I listen to your tracks, I hear the world influence - music from many countries. I also hear or get a sense of the “classical" within it so did you begin your musical journey as a classical pianist? Was the piano your first instrument and at what age did you begin learning to play?
MP: The piano was my first instrument. I grew up with a beautiful black baby grand in our living room, so from the time I could reach the keys, you couldn’t keep me away from it. When I was five I used to listen to my older brother practice his piano lessons. He’d leave the piano and I’d go sit on the bench and play by ear what he was just working on, so that convinced my parents to get me started on lessons as well.
DCB: A number of the
musicians on the CD are part of "Ancient Future". Matthew Montfort's guitar work
is really beautiful. When and how did you meet Matthew and the others? When did
you begin performing with "Ancient Future"?
MP: I met Matthew at a CD release party years ago and was mesmerized by his beautiful playing on the scalloped fretboard guitar. I started performing with Ancient Future in 2002. Shortly after that I met Mindia at a benefit concert where we were both performing. It was out of my collaboration with her that the seeds for Sangria were planted.
"Sangria" is a melodic compilation with a unique blend of instrumental timbres and rhythmic grooves. Mariah mentioned that
"with the exception of one of the tracks, all of the compositions on Sangria
are in odd meters", yet they all flow with a naturally compelling groove.
I asked if she would describe "odd meters" and what it means.
Odd meters refer to music where the number of beats per measure is an odd number and where each measure can be broken down into smaller units of 2’s and 3’s. For example, Take Five by Dave Brubeck has a 5/8 time signature which is broken down 3+2. These kind of time signatures are very common in many other musical cultures such as East Indian, Middle Eastern, Turkish, and Balkan.
Several of the pieces on “Sangria” are in 7/8. In the Northern Indian musical tradition this rhythmic cycle is called rupak tala, and breaks down 3+2+2. But you could also play a 7/8 as 2+2+3 and it would have a very different rhythmic feel. I enjoy composing in the odd meters since they open up such rich rhythmic and melodic possibilities.
I enjoy composing in the odd meters since they open up such interesting rhythmic
and melodic possibilities.
From Mariah Parker's "Sangria" CD Onesheet::
 The world fusion music movement has spawned many intriguing new musical hybrids.
With Sangria, Mariah Parker explores the exciting sonic terrain that blends the
driving rhythmic syncopations of Latin jazz with the entrancing, asymmetrical
meters of East India. Add intriguing melodic ideas to the mix and the result is
compelling music, at once adventurous yet accessible. This debut recording
features her original compositions that draw musical inspiration from Brazil,
Cuba, Spain, and India. Her Indo Latin Jazz Ensemble accompanies her and
includes musicians from the bands Ancient Future, Oregon, Sun Ra, and Herbie
Hancock's Headhunters.
 Mariah Parker (composer and multi-instrumentalist), while completing her degree
in music at UC Santa Cruz, worked with ethnomusicologist Fred Lieberman and
Mickey Hart on the “Planet Drum” project. She has performed in festivals in the
US and Europe, and worked with many musicians of note including composer Pauline
Oliveros, the late Dumisani Maraire (renowned composer from Zimbabwe) and
others. She has studied with jazz great Art Lande and Latin jazz pianist
extraordinaire Rebeca Mauléon, and performs regularly with the trend-setting
world music group Ancient Future.
 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, 2-time Grammy Award nominee and woodwind virtuoso;
Kash Killion, first-call bass player and multi-instrumentalist with Sun Ra
Arkestra, Cecil Taylor and others; Mindia Devi Klein, award-winning bansuri and
jazz flutist; Duru Demetrius, latin percussionist with jazz icons such as Joe
Henderson and Herbie Hancock; Anuradha Pal, world's premiere female tabla
player; Debopriyo Sarkar, tabla virtuoso whose recent tours include Kronos
Quartet; Brian Rice, versatile percussionist with players such as Mike Marshall.
  
Mariah's MySpace page
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