Making the Album
Inspired by musicians like Joni Mitchell, Carole King, Fleetwood Mac, The Band, and Jeff Buckley, amongst others, Marita set out to record a collection of her songs with a tinge of 70s softness to the sound. It was tough trying to decide which songs to include and which to leave out, but Marita eventually settled on ten she thought gave a cross-section of her sound. And of course, she was careful to include live favourites like Toffee Pie, Remember the Time, and Anywhere But Here.
After trawling through a number of recording studios in Dublin, Marita eventually settled on Exchequer Studios in Dublin city centre. Owned by Nick Seymour, bassist with Crowded House, the studio had the distinct advantage of containing a beautiful Bosendorfer grand piano, which swayed Marita’s opinion. Having the opportunity to work with a like-minded person such as sound engineer, Lucy Polden, sealed the deal. Lucy is a founder of Charthouse Recording Studios, and has worked with people such as Brian Crosby, The Classic Beatles, Michael Beinhorn, The Blizzards, Director, Jerry Fish, and The Walls.
Marita assembled an impressive and highly experienced group of musicians to help her realise her album. On drums and percussion was Jonathan de Andrade, a Brazilian native who relocated to Dublin to study. Jonathan brought his extensive experience of Brazilian and jazz music, as well as his skill with rock/pop rhythms. Dave Mooney took care of the bass guitar and double bass. Dave has a BMus degree from Berklee College of Music in Boston, where he studied with such world-renowned musicians and composers as John Lockwood and Joseph Smith, and also holds a Diploma in Jazz Performance from the Guildhall School of Music in London. Dave has performed and recorded with a vast and varied array of artists, from Sarah Brightman and Jeff Ramsey (Al Jarreau Group) to Sarah Brindell, and the Young European Strings.
Robson Rocha, another Brazilian native, was responsible for the imaginative guitar playing on Marita’s album. Robson’s skill with funk, jazz, blues, latin and rock styles means he is a much in demand session guitarist on the Irish music scene. He has toured with singer Gavin Friday, and plays regularly with bands FORRO, The Dave Mooney Quartet, and +55, a popular weekly session of Brazilian music that was held at the Odeon in Dublin, for four years.
Lending his amazing skills on flugelhorn, was respected musician Bill Blackmore. He performs regularly with The Bill Blackmore Sextet, a group of musicians from Ireland and Slovakia who come together to perform new arrangements of old songs, as well original material. Bill recently performed a tribute concert to Dizzy Gillespie with his group in the National Concert Hall in Dublin....