Born in Cleveland, Ohio,this former traffic reporter and disc jockey lived in Los Angeles for eleven years andsang The Langham Huntington, (formerly the Ritz Carlton,) The Four Seasons inWestlake Village, Chaya of Beverly Hills, and The Torrance Civic Center to name a few.She has released three albums: No Frills, Free As A Dove and Chasing Dreams.Maria also opened forjazz trumpeter Chuck Mangione at The Coach House and in Columbus, Ohio she wasfeatured with the opening act for Bob Dorough.While back in the Midwest, Maria performed at the Elmhurst Jazz Festival with The KentState Jazz Band, and won the attention of judges Mike Abene, Dennis Mackrel andByron Stripling. She was then invited by Byron Stripling to perform with him and theColumbus Jazz Orchestra.Maria recorded withAlphonso Johnson and Ndugu Chancler for an album entitled “Chasing Dreams.” TheEP received a wonderful review in Singer Magazine. But Maria is most excited about theoriginal pop and R&B album which will feature guitarist and arranger J Curtis, whowrote Where Is The Love by the Blackeyed Peas. The album is called Free As A Dove,and for it Maria wrote eight out of nine songs. Free As A Dove has national distributionand is heard on traditional an Internet radio stations throughout the world. Also as asongwriter, she wrote “So This Is Love,” a theme song for a sitcom of the same nameon the web.Maria has always been surrounded by diversityin music that reached far beyond what could be found in record stores. Maria begansinging in the Melkite Catholic Church at a very early age, and soon began sharing thebandstand with her father Mike Jacobs, a drummer in the Cleveland area. Maria hasalways wanted to sing and began so by doing her rendition of favorite standards, a fewof which are heard on her first album entitled “No Frills,” available on iTunes.In the fourth grade Maria began fifteen years of classical flute study and some piano,gaining a new appreciation for European melody and harmony through much practiceand listening. All of these rich, early experiences lead to superior ratings in flutecompetitions throughout high school, a music scholarship at The Ohio State Universityand singing jobs in area night clubs.Upon graduating from college,Maria started working with several radio stations as a disc jockey, but it was inCleveland that she met up with friend and mentor Bobby Jackson, three-time Gavinradio"Person of the Year.” The musical director of then 24-hour jazz station, WCPN,hired her as his research assistant. It was there that she realized she would forever beenmeshed in music, absorbing all she could from her various surroundings.Maria studied with some of the finest vocalistsin the business, including Kevyn Lettau, Marni Nixon, Roland Wyatt, and workshopswith Mark Murphy, Shelia Jordan, Rhiannon and Betty Carter. Other musicians she hasrecorded and performed with include: Tony Dumas, Ralph Penland, Greg Poree,Michael Bluestein, Jerry White, Bob Conti, Octavio Bailly, Ted Howe, Ed Czach, AdamCohen, Bili Redd, Joe Corerro, Richard Sherman, Sherry Luchette, Jack Bone, JohnStuart, Dan Maier, Joe Hunter, Greg Bandy, Drene Ivy, Kevin Muhammed, Dave Thomasand Mike Jacobs.Maria still performs inNew York, Los Angeles, as well as Milwaukee, Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio. FreeAs A Dove is heard world wide on Internet stations and traditional radio stationsmostly in Los Angeles. Chasing Dreams can also be heard on these same stationsincluding: WKHR, WCLV, KJAZ, KPFK, UNLV, WWOZ, WDNA, WUSF, WEMU, WTEB,WRTI, WAER to name a few. Also on Solar Radio with Bruce Nazarian at: www.thedigitalguy.net and with Bob Parlocha on www.jazzwithbobparlocha.comBoth CD's may be purchased on Amazon, iTunes or cdbaby.For more information on Maria please continue browsing this website:www.mariajacobs.com