Atlanta-based singer/songwriter/musicpreneur Maria Rossoto has a perpetual hankering for adventure and a free-spirited approach to everything she does. That is especially evident in her music. Friends in the Garden, her new CD of original songs that teach kids about organic gardening, is a multi-genre trek covering jazz, Latin, polka, soul, folk rock, disco and blues. Maria wrote the songs, recorded vocals and percussion on the album, created the cover art, and shared post-production with pianist/producer Andrew Fazackerly. She moves deftly from one style to another with a voice that is consistently silky, smoky and full.

Singing jazz is where Maria explores, without inhibition, the bounteous creativity and wide range of her sultry voice. Her innate sense of swing and phrasing is reminiscent of jazz singers of old. She counts Frank Sinatra, Dwight Yoakam, Betty Carter, Anita O’Day, Ernestine Anderson, Jimi Hendrix and Celeste Mendoza as influences– a list befitting her eclectic approach. She was exposed to Puerto Rican, Cuban, jazz and Tejano music by her guitar playing father and got a daily earful of music from India, Greece, Bulgaria and Israel from the folk records her mother played.

Maria became obsessed with Afro-Cuban rhythms and started playing congas in her late 30’s. That led to electric bass lessons, songwriting, drum set lessons, and then voice lessons. She’s played and sung in numerous bands, performing throughout the southeast. We can’t leave out one particularly interesting detail of this story…Maria was shamed about her singing as a very young child and she vowed at age 6 to “never sing in public again.” A hypnotherapy session helped her break that vow and soon after, she became the songwriter/lead singer of an original band.

Nowadays you might find her busking in downtown Decatur, GA or on Atlanta’s Beltline, singing jazz standards or tunes from her new CD “Friends in the Garden.” She edutains kids (and parents) at various events around Atlanta with music from Friends in the Garden, teaching them about bees, worms, planting and other garden themes. While she performs jazz at mostly private events, check her calendar for local, public events where you can hear her captivating vocal style.

Current and future adventures in store from this talented performer include more music production and a custom song business. Also, a very special kind of graphic novel is in the works for Friends in the Garden. Just more proof that Maria Rossoto lives by her favorite tagline – “Groove & Be Happy”.

SHORT BIO

Atlanta-based singer/songwriter/musicpreneur Maria Rossoto is blazing new trails with her multi-genre CD about organic gardening for kids titled “Friends in the Garden.” Edutainment at its very best – the 12 songs authentically cover jazz, Latin, polka, soul, folk rock, disco and blues. Maria performs songs from her CD by day and smoky jazz standards by night. She’s an innovative and talented vocalist.

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