ArtistInfo

Maya Hatch

voc, *1985 JP
Jazz

Maya Hatch was born on August 18, 1985. Her mixed background of Japanese on her mother’s side and Caucasian-American (English, German, Scottish) on her father’s side has helped her see the importance of bridging cultures; Maya sees music as the perfect medium to bring people together. In 2004, Maya was awarded a generous scholarship from The New School in New York City to attend a 5 year dual-degree program at The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music and Eugene Lang College, The New School for Liberal Arts. After studying under the direction of jazz giants such as Chico Hamilton, Junior Mance, Jane Ira Bloom, & Rachel Z, Maya graduated in May of 2009 with a BFA in Jazz Performance and a BA in Education Studies. In 2008, Maya was signed to Spice of Life, an independent jazz label in Japan. Her debut CD entitled “My Foolish Heart” was released in Japan on November 18, 2009. On this album, recorded in June of 2009 at Avatar Studios in NYC, Maya is accompanied by an outstanding young jazz trio: Gerald Clayton on piano, Ben Williams on bass, and Quincy Davis on drums. Maya’s highly anticipated second album “Li’l Darlin’” was released by Spice of Life on September 26, 2012. This album features the same pianist & bassist from her first album — Gerald Clayton (piano) & Ben Williams (bass) along with New School alumni Jamire Williams (drums) & Keyon Harrold (trumpet). In addition to New School alum/pianist/composer Warren Fields’ contemporary yet sophisticated arrangements of classic jazz standards, this album also features some of Maya’s original music and lyrics. Although Maya resigned from Spice of Life in June of 2013, she continues to make her mark on the Japanese music scene. With recent performances with jazz giants such as Ron Carter and Japanese pop stars such as EXILE ATSUSHI, Maya demonstrates her wide musical ability to seamlessly cross genres and win the hearts of her listeners with her unique and sincere voice.