Tanja Maritsa

Some recent press reviews and interviews.

Clicking on the titles will take you to the relevant websites.

Music Week - Record of the Week - Fading Grace
Tanja Maritsa has been attracting plaudits by the truckload. This tantalisingly crafted single comes adorned with delicately haunting vocals and is completed with the highly-polished accompaniment of jazz/ classical maestro, Gwilym Simcock. Captivating and enchanting stuff indeed.

Tanja Maritsa - Fragile - Blues and Soul Magazine
Emrys Baird
Tanja Maritsa is just an old fashioned girl trying to be heard above this cruel vicious world but her soft charms and genteel persuasion might just get to you in the end.

Stylistically the girl's all at sea jazzy folk and beyond with shades of Joni Mitchell, Dory Previn and Madeleine Peyroux fans will really love her! This doesn't take anything away from the girl whose unique voice will tug at the heart strings ....I'm already feeling very protective of her and i'm only two songs in!

'Fading Grace' with it's poignant melancholic beauty will stop any hard nosed critic in his tracks, she draws you into her ethereal world and it's hard to escape, believe me. If this was the swinging 60's Tanja would be singing at the Troubadour just before Paul Simon and may be a Dylan set. Wonderfully anachronistic but she could easily become a big star her songs are crying out to be used in film.

There's some exceptional playing on this album (produced by Richard Niles) with it's sweet rythmic acoustic guitar, it's no wonder as she is backed by some truly wondetful musicians (Richard Cottle, Sam Burgess, Gary O'toole) and again she has teamed up with wunderkind pianist Gwilym Simcock, and the highly esteemed Oud player Naseer Shaama, who features on 'In Love again' with It's "little sparrow" evocations. Bewitching beguiling if this girl doesn't leave you smiling there's a hole in your soul! She will touch you.

The Art of the Torch Singer
Piers Ford
Here’s proof that it’s possible to be gentle, understated, enigmatic and provocative, all at the same time. London-based Tanja Maritsa’s second album, Fragile, insinuates itself into your head and drifts around, underscoring the changing moods of the day. Not in a ghastly, earworm fashion. But in the way her intimate vocals – so soft that they’re almost whispered rather than sung, daringly close to the mic (she has an assured technical confidence) – wrap themselves around you.

Maritsa’s top-class band provide jazz inflections and undertones that shimmer around her voice – James Graydon’s guitar and Richard Cottle (who works regularly with Claire Martin) on the piano deserve special mention for the delicacy of their playing – as she swings her way delicately through Colette Meury’s pristine arrangements. Richard Niles has done a masterful production job, pulling together a diverse range of musical references and nuances in such a way that the shifts in tone, style and tempo never jar.

Maritsa keeps your expectations on their toes. The lilting opening track, “Live for Today”, promises a retro, 1950s nightclub experience, full of simple optimism, which is revisited later on in “No More the Blues”. But don’t be fooled, because there is plenty of food for the soul’s darker side to come, not least in Maritsa’s treatment of Sting’s “Fragile” – the title track and one of two imported numbers (the others are all from Maritsa’s pen) – and the poignant “Fading Grace” and “Always With You”. Loss, renewal and moving on are constant themes. The final ballad, “Fading Grace”, is a poignant acceptance of grief and lost innocence, its emotional impact only heightened by the spare delivery.

There are hints of chanson in “Won’t You Dance” and “In Love Again”, jazz-tinged folk in “On the Other Side of the World”, and bossa nova in the Astor Piazzolla number “Libertango”, but every time you think you’ve identified a specific style, Maritsa spins you on to a new perspective in her subtle, irresistible way. Fragile is a thoughtful, beautifully conceived little piece of magic.

Tanja Maritsa – Fragile (Freedom) - Girl SIngers
Doug Boynton

 The title fits Tanja Maritsa’s style – very intimate. When listening through headphones – or the iPod buds, it’s like she’s only inches from my ear. Ms. Maritsa floats through a dozen tracks of mostly original material, produced by Richard Niles and backed by pianist and arranger Gwilym Simcock; Richard Cottle on keyboards, Sam Burgess on bass, and Gary O’Toole on percussion. The group is joined on Oud (oh, go look it up) by Nasser Shamma for “In Love Again,” one of my favorite tracks – which moves along with a nice Middle East beat.

Other favorites include the chanson-esque “Live for Today,” which I already raved about, another track released as a single – “Fading Grace,” which sounds very much like a lullaby, and “Libertango,” which mixes that same Middle East sound with lyrics in French, which I’m sorry to say, I failed in school.

Ms. Maritsa, born in England to British and Croatian parents, spent a lot of time growing up in Paris.

It’ll be interesting to see where she finds the market for this music. I find it very listenable; I’ve been spending a lot of time with this disc this week. But it’s likely that the casual listener will have to take a few turns off the beaten path to find it.

I hope they do. There’s craftsman kind of work in putting something like this together. And then there’s master craftsman quality, painstakingly assembled by hand, and that’s where this one resides.

Very highly recommended.

Tanja Maritsa - Fragile - Rhythm-and-booze.co.uk

Tanja Marista's love for music began in its earnest in her teens when she started classical singing lessons, catching the ear of Rick Wakeman in a regional competition, but it wasn't until after a stint at university that she decided to take her obvious talent seriously. A chance meeting with Collete Meury (teacher to the likes of Beth Gibbons and Liz Frazer among others) helped Tanja recognise her talent and by 2005 she formed her own jazz folk group, Bluebird, releasing an album's worth of jazz and folk covers, prior to her aforementioned solo debut album.

Fragile should see Tanja's stock rise further, the delightful twelve track affair offers up a wonderful combination of uplifting jazzy affairs, folk numbers and on occasion, a brief diversion into a more worldly sound featuring exotic Oud courtesy of the esteemed Naseer Shaama.

The album opens with a lovely slow jazzy chanson number in the shape of Live For Today, a gorgeous statement of intent complete with delicate piano and wonderfully seductive vocals that instantly plays with the heart strings of the listener weaving an intoxicating spell that continues throughout the album's duration.

Live For Today is followed by the acoustic folk stylings of La Catrina a song that again captures the imagination of the listener from the opening few bars, Tanja's delivery is instantly infectious, whilst the band back her ably with subtle yet effective musicianship. Elsewhere we're treated to addictive jazz odes such as No More The Blues, the infectious folk of The Other Side Of The World and the stunning duo of In Love Again and Libertango, both of which blend world music into an already potent mix, the former showcases the aforementioned Oud to dazzling effect, whilst the latter is a sublime combination of flamenco guitar and latin tinged rhythms evoking the sun kissed shores of Spain.

If all that wasn't enough, the album is completed with the gloriously emotive Fading Grace, a truly beautiful melancholic piece that's simply soaked in passion with Tanja's fragile and haunting vocals oozes with class and emotion.

Fragile is a delightful album from start to finish, Tanja's warm heartfelt vocals never fail to impress, whilst the blend of influences and genres leaves the listener with a sweet taste and insatiable thirst to hear more.

Review of Fading Grace (Single) - The Jazzmann
 
A lovely duet with acclaimed pianist Gwilym Simcock
It’s not often I get to review a single on the Jazzmann. Clearly those handling the career British based singer/songwriter Tanja Maritsa harbour hopes of her achieving considerable crossover success.
“Fading Grace” is taken from Maritsa’s impending second album “Fragile”, due for release in February 2010. A Maritsa original the song appears in two forms on the album, a full band version and in a pared down duet with acclaimed pianist Gwilym Simcock.
It is the duo version that is due to be released as a single and therefore concerns us here. Simcock’s typically sensitive arrangement and accompaniment helps to bring out the beauty of Maritsa’s melody, the fragility of her voice (the album title, taken from Sting’s song of the same name is suitably apposite) and the poetic delicacy of her words.
It’s very laid back and lovely and the song has already generated considerable airplay on various BBC local radio stations as well as being picked up on in Europe, Australia and Canada. I certainly prefer the duet to the album version but suspect it may be a little too tasteful and subtle for the Great British Public to turn it into a hit. It’s a good calling card though and stranger things have happened.
For myself it’s a little too smooth and I prefer to hear Simcock in a more obviously jazz context.
I’ll be taking a look at the album itself nearer to release date. In the meantime more information can be found at http://www.tanjamaritsa.co.uk and http://www.myspace.com/tanjamaritsa

Blues and Soul Magazine - Elegantly Yours

"For me, elegance is not to pass unnoticed but to get to the very soul of what one is" - Christian Lacroix. For ME elegance in this instance is a tad different, one would listen to the delicately intrinsic tones of Tanja Maritsa while contemplating (taking a leaf from Lacroix's sketch book) one's soul. But not only Soul - how about Jazz, Folk and a touch of World Music?

And mon amis, having had the chance to ponder all the above before catching up with the lady herself - I found this, one time Jazz, now jack (or should that be Jacqui) of a lot more trades, in slightly jovial mood to talk about her two singles in - now impending album. An album so full of style, panache and je ne sa qua that even Mr Lacroix would whole heartedly approve - and for want of better terminology in this instant, an absolutely beautifully delivered piece of genre crossing quality.

So, I suppose you want a quick run-down on Ms Maritsa before I go any further... Well, she was born to an English Mother and Croatian Father, subsequently spent her early years in France (Ahh, now you know why I used all those French-isms, - it's all planned don't you know!?) before settling here at the tender age of five. Fast-forwarding to 2005 she would form a Jazz group called 'Bluebird', before branching out on her own. Now, about to release her second album 'Fragile', she stands on the precipice of (some may say) a GREAT musical future. Why greatness you ask? Well, when you're mentioned in the same breath as Madeleine Peyroux, Eva Cassidy, Jon Mitchell, Ella Fitzgerald AND Nina Simone you can kinda make that assumption. On a personal note, when listening to her, then all I can do is rubber stamp that statement. So, Madames et Messieurs, may I start the interview now? .... Merci...
Tanja Maritsa is a British based singer-songwriter who blends a stunning mix of folk, jazz and pop to dazzling effect on Fragile, the sequel to her debut album Child In My Heart, released back in 2007.

Entertainment Focus - Fading Grace

English born Tanja Maritsa spent the first five years of her life living in Paris, France. Crediting those formative years for the influence on her music, Maritsa has established her own unique sound that fits nicely into the jazz genre. Recently she released a single with painist Gwilym Simcock, Fading Grace, ahead of her album Fragile which is due next year.

Fading Grace is a classic-sounding track featuring a beautiful piano melody from Simcock and a gorgeous, hushed vocal from Maritsa. The track is stripped back to the bare essentials and it showcases her beautiful voice perfectly. The restrained nature of the song only adds to its beauty and as Maritsa’s voice quavers through the emotive lyrics. The song is full of passion and emotion and it sent a shiver down this reviewer’s spine.

Tanja Maritsa shows a lot of promise on this track. She sounds understated and stunning and Simcock’s piano melody adds to the raw emotion of the track. We hope to hear a lot more from Maritsa in 2010 and can’t wait to hear her album Fragile.

'The Voice' - The Lady Magazine

If you have a Madeleine Peyroux CD, you’ll warm to jazzy chanteuse Tanja Maritsa’s new album Fragile, complete with a version of Sting’s same-titled hit song, accompanied by world-renowned oud player Naseer Shamma. English/Croatian singer-songwriter Tanja sings a duet with fellow jazzster Gwilym Simcock, then gives a solo performance in French, delivering In Love Again and Libertango in great style (www.tanjamaritsa.co.uk).

Tanja Maritsa - Fragile - Entertainment Focus

Towards the end of last year we highlighted upcoming jazz singer Tanja Maritsa as someone to look out for in 2010. We were impressed with her single Fading Grace, a collaboration with Gwilym Simcock, and said at the time that her sound was ‘understated and stunning’. Not we’ve got our hands on Maritsa’s second album Fragile and we’re pleased to confirm that it’s just as good, if not better, than the material we’ve already heard from her.
Fragile contains 12 tracks, 10 of which are written by Maritsa herself. Opening with Live For Today, a song soaked with the optimism of a Parisian sunset, the record gets off to a strong start. Maritsa’s gentle vibrato draws you in as her melodies seduce your ears and transport you into a dreamlike world; think a lazy Sunday spent by the Seine. The overall sound of the record is one that brings back the class of a golden era when singers like Edith Piaf ruled the industry.
Highlights on the record include the Gwilym Simcock duet Fading Grace, the hopeful sound of La Catrina and In Love Again, a song that combines English and French lyrics. The standout moment is the album’s title track, a Latin-tinged cover of the Sting classic Fragile. The smooth beats and hypnotic rhythms move you towards the dancefloor and give the song a new meaning. Martisa’s voice completes the picture by driving the song towards a gorgeous, hushed vocal on the chorus.
Fragile is an album that has clearly been crafted with a lot of love and passion. The enjoyment drips from Maritsa’s voice throughout the record and she was clearly born to perform. If we hear an album more beautiful than this in 2010 we’ll be well and truly shocked. Impress your loved one by getting hold of this album and making sure it’s the soundtrack to a romantic evening in. Simply gorgeous.

Some Recent Interviews :

Tanja Maritsa Interview
September 2010 - Female First

Tanja Maritsa is one of the UK's leading Jazz singers and her heavily Folk influenced new album 'Fragile' which is available now on iTunes is an absolute cracker! Female First caught up with Tanja to chat about music, Egypt, Cat Stevens and perilous mountain assents!

Hi Tanja, what are you up to?

Busy writing some lyrics to a new song :)
 
So, you’re getting ready to release your debut album can you tell us a bit about it?

Yes I'm very excited. 'Fragile' was really a culmination of ideas and the main underlying theme of the album is about how fragile and delicate life is and how we should try to savour every moment. It was written and recorded at a time when my father was very ill so i think that made it all the more poignant for me and hopefully it is, for others who listen to it.

There is a lot of competition in the business today; do you think you have what it takes to give the big names a run for their money?

Ha - that's a funny question and yes I hope so - but in all seriousness first and foremost I sing and write songs because that's my passion in life, it's what i love doing. I want to share my thoughts and feelings with my audience and I hope what I write and sing resonates with others - that's really my ultimate aim above anything else.

So, if you could recommend just one song of yours for us to download so that we want to hear all of your music, what would it be?

Well if you want a nice lively song id recommend the single 'Live for Today' which as the words suggest is about living for the moment and trying not too worry too much about the minutia in life and appreciating what you have - easier said than done i know - but that's the sentiment.

If you want something more on the mellow side id go for my duet 'Fading Grace' with the wonderful pianist Gwilym Simcock, which again is about appreciating everything around us and how even good things can come out of tragic situations.

If I was contemplating coming to your show or sitting at home and watching Big Brother, how would you get me out of the house?

Well I'd go for a live show any time - far more fun !! :) and unlike Big Brother we can guarantee we won't fall asleep on you !!

We’ve got to admit you’re a little bit cool, so what advice would you give to someone just starting out, knowing what you know now?

To try and be yourself in what you do and in how you sing and to persevere.

If T.A.N.J.A was an acronym what would each letter stand for?

Tenacious adventurous new jazz artist :)

Michael Jackson had the Moonwalk, Elvis had the snake hips, what do you have that makes you unique?

Hmm- can't say I wiggle much on stage and don't think the snake hips are really me :)) but hopefully I try to sing with heart :))

Now, clearly we need to get to know each other more, so tell me an interesting fact about you that no one else knows?

I'm very lucky in the sense that I get to travel quite a bit. I have family in Egypt so we spend quite a lot of time there - that's how I first got to meet some of the musicians I'm currently working with including my wonderful oud player Naseer Shamma who's a special guest on the album.

What song do you wish you’d written?

Sunrise - Norah Jones - i love it!

If I was contemplating coming to your show or sitting at home and TV, how would you convince me to come out?

Put the video recorder on and come on down - that way you get the best out of both worlds - simple ! :))

And if you were to take me on a trip to your hometown, what would be the first place we’d go?

The Windmill ! We have one on the common - very unusual for London i think - but i love Windmills - something so romantic about them :)

What’s the best prank you’ve ever pulled on someone?

hmm- I'm not the prank type really - I mean I like a little tease but never full on pranks - sorry :)

And what’s the most daring thing you’ve ever done? Please tell us how it ended up!

I was walking in the lake district once and a gentle little stroll turned into a full on climb in the ice and snow !! I was terrified but after nearly dying of fear managed to get to the top. Five minutes later a few other climbers followed - only they had ropes and pick axes - a slight advantage !! So the morale of the story like any good Scout will tell you is- Always be prepared ! Still it adds to the drama of life when you're not :)

If you were to send someone to prison for crimes against music, who would it be?

Oh no that's mean - I don't want to answer that :) music is so subjective - perhaps also I'm lucky as well as i love all sorts of music from Pink Floyd to Tom Jones :))

If you could only listen to one CD for the rest of your life, what would it be?

The Best of Cat Stevens !! - my favourite artist of all time.

What were you doing‌ last night‌ at 11?

Packing my suitcase

What are you going to do after this interview?
Off to Boston !! - Very exciting. Meeting up with some musicians I know there and having a little break.

When was the last time you did something incredibly stupid?

Oh well that's probably a daily occurence - I run round like a mad person most of the time trying to do far too much so I have a habit of loosing things :))

What’s the last film you saw?

'La Vie en Rose' about Edith Piaf - absolutely fabulous

What’s the last thing you bought?

A great little MP3 player and recorder - i have to have one on me permanently - you never know when the next song is going to pop into your head :)

Tanja Maritsa - The IndieLondon interview
Interview by Rob Carnevale

WITH a voice which has already been likened to many a great singer such as Joni Mitchell, Eva Cassidy, and Madeleine Peyroux and her own enchanting, self-penned melodies, Tanja Maritsa has created her own unique signature style.
Her new album, Fragile, features 10 tracks of her own material and two reinterpretations of classic songs. She talks exclusively to IndieLondon about her career to date, comparisons to the greats and the inspiration behind her album.

Q. You must be incredibly excited about the release of Fragile. What inspired the album?
Tanja Maritsa: Yes, very excited. It was really a culmination of ideas, but the main underlying theme of the album is about how fragile and delicate life is and how we should try to savour every moment. It was written and recorded at a time when my father was very ill so I think that made it all the more poignant for me and hopefully it is for others who listen to it.

Q. And likewise, what inspired the lead single, Live For Today? It’s an empowering sentiment…
Tanja Maritsa: Well, it’s a reminder to me as much as anyone else really that we should try not worry too much about the minutia in life and to try to live in the moment. I think most people lead extremely busy and stressful lives to the point where we almost forget what life should really be about and forget to appreciate what we do have.

Q. Do you find that you’re growing more confident as a songwriter following the success of Child In My Heart and the encouragement you subsequently received from people like Richard Niles?
Tanja Maritsa: Yes, definitely. It’s a real pleasure when someone likes your songs and can relate to what you’ve written. Of course, I’m still developing and finding my niche as it were, but perhaps that’s a never ending process because as you experience more things in life you inevitably you change and develop as an artist.

Q. What was it like getting to work with someone like Naseer Shamma on the album?
Tanja Maritsa: A real inspiration. Naseer is a wonderfully generous artist and person. Although he’s one of the top musicians in the Middle East, he’s very approachable. He has a genuine passion for his music and never seems to stop having ideas or wanting to try out news things. He’s also recently asked me to sing on one of his new compositions – which is a real honour and I have to start practising my Arabic ! :)

Q. And similarly, Fragile features a rosta of some great accompanying musicians, from Richard Cottle to James Graydon. What was it like working with them?
Tanja Maritsa: It’s been wonderful to work with them. They’re all very talented and dedicated musicians but also have a great sense of humour, which made recording the album that much more enjoyable.

Q. Do you find yourself reminiscing about past experiences and collecting great anecdotes during any downtime with the likes of Richard Niles? Do you have a favourite anecdote you’d like to share?
Tanja Maritsa: Well, I’m not sure if Richard has much in the way of down time – he’s a hive of activity! He thrives on being busy, which is very admirable. Both the albums were recorded at his home studio Nucool Studios, so it’s always a very relaxed atmosphere; we have his lovely wife who supplied us with lots of homemade cake while we were working and his adorable little boy always likes to pop his head round the door to demand some attention from his dad! So, it’s always very amusing.

Q. You’re predominantly known as a jazz singer, and yet you mix styles on this album, to include folk and world music? So where do you draw your musical inspirations from? Who inspires you?
Tanja Maritsa: I never know how to answer this question really because I think we all assimulate things subconsciously, so it’s difficult to pinpoint exactly what or who has inspired me. Thinking about the songs on the album, Live For Today, for example, is really a French chanson, and having been brought up in Paris until I was five, I was obviously exposed to a lot of French music and I love some of the old French songs and singers like Edith Piaf.

There are also a couple of Tango songs on the album such as In Love Again and the cover version of Libertango but I’m not sure why I love Tango so much. It probably comes from watching old films when I was little annd remembering the romantic pictures of dancers clasped together, rose between teeth. I’m a desperate romantic – so I suspect it was an early love affair :).

Also, I love the different sound that the oud has brought to the album. I have family in Egypt so spend a lot of time there, and I love traditional Egyptian songs – they’re often very melancholic and heartfelt.

Q. What makes jazz so special?
Tanja Maritsa: I love all the old jazz songs from the Great American Songbook – songs by Irving Berlin, the Gershwin brothers, Cole Porter. They wrote wonderfully melodious music and I think that’s what drew me in the first place… not to mention all the fabulous singers, of course, like Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday.

Q. How was growing up in Paris and how indebted to your mother are you, as I gather she first helped to develop your passion for music?
Tanja Maritsa: I was five when we left Paris to come and live in England but it’s very strange how even a relatively short period of time can affect your outlook and how you feel. Paris is still a very special place for me and I love the old cobbled streets in areas like Montmatre, where you have accordion players on every corner, outside coffe shops, little tree-lined squares – you’re in the heart of a big city but it has a gentle, relaxing feel.

My mother has always loved singing. When I was growing up she would sing constantly – old French songs, jazz songs, songs from musicals – so yes, I defintely have her to thank for my passion for singing.

Q. And how influential and encouraging was Colette Meury?
Tanja Maritsa: When I first met her, I had a very classical voice, so trying to sing folk and jazz songs was a real learning process, and meant changing my whole approach to singing, particularly in terms of how I pronounced my vowels and words. But she’s coached a lot of singers and knew exactly how to go about it. As well as being a great vocal coach she’s also a talented songwriter, so she was also a great support when I first started writing songs.

Q. How do you feel about being compared to singers such as Joni Mitchell, Dory Previn and Madeleine Peyroux?
Tanja Maritsa: I adore all of them so it’s a huge compliment.

Q. Do you still look back fondly on your days with your jazz folk covers band? And what were the favourite tracks you played?
Tanja Maritsa: Yes, very much so and I still love singing all the old standards like Black Cofee, Bewitched Bothered and Bewildered, Blue Moon…

Q. What’s been the most valuable piece of advice you’ve received in reaching this point?
Tanja Maritsa: Something that Richard says which is ‘accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative’. It’s so true for singing, or anything you do in life for that matter, but for singing you do need to keep listening to yourself and seeing how you can improve

Q. What advice would you pass on to anyone wanting to follow in your footsteps?
Tanja Maritsa: To try and be yourself in what you do and in how you sing and if you believe in what you do, to persevere.

Q. As the year progresses, what are your live plans? When and where can UK fans see you, particularly London-based ones?
Tanja Maritsa: We have some gigs planned in late Autumn mainly in the South London area – details to be posted soon on my website :o)

Q. What do you like about living in London?
Tanja Maritsa: London is full of life. It’s a glorious mix of everything – of people, of food, of music. We have it all and I dont think there are that many places in the world where you’d find that.

Q. What’s the most satisfying thing you’ve had written about you? And the most shocking?
Tanja Maritsa: I’ve had some fabulous reviews for the album and the singles which is great. One review, in particular, described my other single, Fading Grace – a duet I perform with pianist Gwilym Simcock – as ‘understated and stunning’. I was delighted because I think that’s ultimately what I’d like to achieve. As for shocking, well I think being compared to great artists like Joni Mitchell is pretty shocking!! But in a very nice way, of course. :)

Q. Away from the music scene, what does your ideal day off consist of?
Tanja Maritsa: Well, I have to admit when the switch button goes off – it is well and truly off so my perfect day would be somewhere warm and by the sea. It’s probably the Mediterranean in me but I love the sea.

Q. Finally, what are the 10 tracks that are never far from your iPod player at the moment?
Tanja Maritsa: Cat Stevens – MoonShadow
Madeleine Peyroux – Don’t Wait Too Long
Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitgerald – Cheek to Cheek
The Doors – Light My Fire
Nick Drake – Saturday Sun
John Martyn – SunShine Better on The Other Side
Nina Simone – Here Comes The Sun
Judy Garland – Somewhere Over The Rainbow
Eva Cassidy – Fields of Gold
Roberta Flack – The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face

Tanja Martisa Interview - Female First

Hello Tanja! How's your 2010 been so far?

Oo! Cold! A mixture actually, hot and cold. Fortunately I've been away travelling in Egypt and I've come back to the freezing cold with a bit of a shock.

Aww Egypt! How was that?

Yeah it was really good, I worked with some musicians in Cairo - one of them is actually Naseer Shamma's on the new album so I was visiting him.

Has the album got that kind of Egyptian vibe to it then?

Yeah a couple of tracks. The albums called Fragile, and the song I've worked with him on is a cover of a Sting song but Richard Niles who's doing the arrangement has given it quite an ethnic-y feel and Naseer Shamma is one of the World's top lute players so with him playing on It it sounds really nice and ethnic-y.

Have you got anybody else featured on the album or is it mainly that kind of influence throughout?

No it's a complete mix between jazz, folk, and then its also got a couple of tracks with an ethnic feel to them. I've got top musicians, very excellent musicians, people like Rick Cottle, James Graydon, Sam Burgess who is a jazz bassist player and then i've also got someone on the album called Gwilym Simcock who is a very well known classical jazz pianist.

Cool!

Yeah I did a couple of tracks on my previous album with him for 'A child in my heart' from my previous album and he's come back on this album which is really great.

So was that your main goal when making the album, did you want to create a multiple amount of emotions throughout it?

I'm not quite sure what my main aim for the album was really! I mean I just write songs that I like I don't believe in completely pitching the whole of yourself into one genre because I mean personally I like all sorts of music, I like anything from Pink Floyd through to Madeline Peyroux. I mean, I don't write Pink Floyd music! But likewise a lot of the stuff I write is a complete mix from folk to jazz, it's really the stuff I write as much as anything.

Would you say that jazz is your greatest love?

Well I first started singing as a classical singer many years ago and that's when I trained more formally as a classical singer and then I had a great vocal coach and as I got into my teens I got into more folk music and then there's jazz. Now I do a lot of jazz covers, so probably yes, to answer your question simply!

Well you spent the first five years of your life in Paris as well, right? Has that had an influence on anything that you do?

Yeah it does actually, I've got a couple of tracks on the new album, probably more so on the new album than on the past album. It's an influence in the sense that I love singers like Edith Piaf but also I've got a couple of tracks where I actually sing half of them in French, so I thought that, I have a father who's a linguist so he checks my translations for me!

I'm sure you're getting it right!
I hope so haha