mauro
Mauro is a performer with a wide rock dynamic. Influenced by an expanding humanity, Mauro delivers the revolution of revolutions....the evolution of man.
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Music's New Artist Review (http://www.newartistreview.com/mreview.htm)
Mauro A'sha Martins de Oliveira. The album IC2. This album like none other I've heard is
overwhelming in so many aspects it leaves me without enough admirable adjectives in the
English language to describe it. Mauro de delivers a message well worth receiving. It is that
of the Native American and their never ending battle for freedom. The freedom which is
known by so many of us is still not recognizable by the Native American. The message is
well received because of the great depth in which it is delivered. Mauro's music is so
incredibly profound. Each word, each syllable proves Mauro's passion for his beliefs as he
delivers his audience to a mystical journey inward. Mauro A'sha Martins de Oliveira, a man
with a mission and the gifted talent to deliver it.
IC2 (Meye Sol) Reviewed by Shaun Dale
Mauro A'sha Martins de Oliveira has a musical ambition as big as his name, and on his self
produced CD, IC2, that ambition is largely fulfilled. de Oliveira draws on his Blackfoot and
indigenous Brazilian heritage for much of both the form and message of his music, using
native rhythms and singing of the plight of Indian people. He puts his money where his
music is, using much of his income to support the Navajo struggle at Big Mountain,
Arizona.
This isn't your typical topical music, though. In performance, De Oliveira draws on
American Indian symbolism and ritual to stage impressively dramatic productions, and that
dramatic flair comes through in his recorded music as well. Possessor of some impressive
pipes, his vocal approach ranges from a whisper to a roar to a wail, using whatever device
serves the song. He's assembled an impressive instrumental unit for the disc, particularly
guitarist John DePatie, whose solos soar and sting. Mauro is still looking for a distribution
deal that will put this in a place close to you. Don't wait.
STRUTTERZINE
MAURO '1C2' (INDEPENDENT)
Welcome to the majestic and inspirational musical world of Mauro Oliveira from California
USA.. Mauro is one of those rare artists who's life is based around the exploration of
musical themes and thoughtfull rock songs and melodies, this is his debut album,and it is a
mixture of spiritual music based around ancient stories, the music if often very cinematic and
very powerful, with mixtures of Latin and African themes baring throughout the album.
The nearest comaprisments i can make for this record are the Blackmore's Night
album,Marty Friedman's solo albums and the band The Dead Can Dance. The album is
very tastefully put together and is as i mentioned a collection of delicate rock songs which
Maro sprinkles over with great music full of atmosphere and great vocals from the female
background singers.
Songs like "Amerika","On Our Way Home","City Of Angels", "Knights", "Morning Song"
and the awesome "About Love" are magical slabs of soaring cinematic themes which are
structured around great rock music.
Mauro is an extrodanary and gifted musician and this album is very nice and uplifting, check
him out if you can at http://www.solcommunications.com/mauro.html or email:
meyesol@eudoramail.com And tell him Strutterzine sent ya!!!!
(Review by Nicky Baldrian)Band/artist history
You can take ginseng, drink tea or you can listen to Mauro. I made the mistake of
having a cup of Ginseng tea while listening to this CD, and was so hyped by the end
of it that I was dancing my way through the rest of the day.
This is rock and more - tribal and more - music with a message and great deal
more....
Mauro A'sha Martins de Oliveira combines classical music training with his Native
American heritage to compose and produce an album of incredible depth and power.
Influenced in the past by artists like Peter Gabriel, he has moved on into his own
realm and developed a sound that is uniquely Mauro.
"IC2" is 15 tracks of anger, hope, grief, joy, and sensuality. From the very ethnic tribal
rhythms on the "Morning Song" cut to the symphonic sweep of "Asianotepec", Mauro
demonstrates a depth of musicianship that takes the breath away. His voice, an
exceptionally broad ranged tenor, is versatile and passionate. Mauro's lyrics are
intelligent, acute and poetic. Whether heard in the rock ballad "Winds", the musical
commentary on Uncle Sam in "About Love" or in "Amerika", he tells his stories with
insight and clarity.
Speaking to Mauro provided several other insights into the dedication and passion he
has for his work as an activist. The music; gift, skill and talent, is not the only means
by which he disseminates his message, but also his way of reaching into the hearts
of those who hear him or see him perform.
"Winds" - The first cut on "IC2" is a dramatic ballad about a medicine man staying
behind to give his tribe time to escape the oncoming union soldiers. It is the plea of
the medicine man and his own inner thoughts during the confrontation. When asked
about this song, he noted that it had become an even more important piece for him
recently.
Mauro - "'Winds' turned out to be true with a friend of mine who was working with the
Uw'a, in Columbia. He was just killed about 45 days ago. He was murdered working
with those Indian people, and they (the killers) dumped his body in Venezuela. So for
me, the issues that I'm taking on are so much a part of my life and the people around
me, that it was literally scary when Terry was killed. The next time I saw 'Winds', it
clicked with me how real that video is. It wasn't just a figment of my imagination. That
death has happened to countless people on this planet."
In a wake-up call about the dispute at Big Mountain, Arizona, Mauro delivers his
message with might and simplicity. "Amerika" hits hard and comes across through
his lyrics and deeds. Musically, the rhythm is consistent, and insistent. This is almost
a war dance, with the amount of strength expressed behind the beat. Mauro's war is
for peace and justice; the right to exist free of fear and persecution.
Mauro - "Myself, and a lot of the people I work with, are human rights and
environmental rights activists. We're not just artists. I actually run supply lines to Big
Mountain every two weeks, which is a 28-hour drive round trip to Northern Arizona.
We run 5-10 vehicles. We're trying to hold off a relocation of the last traditional Dineh
(Navajo) people."
"Come With Me" - An East Indian Tabla beat, bagpipes and a sinuous seductive
melody line blend as though they were always meant to intermingle. An invitation to
intimacy and play, this song is an alluring and joyous dance of love. The dominant
heartbeat of the tabla challenges the listener to match it, raising the energy level and
imagination. This song is not to be missed!
During our discussion, it became immediately apparent that his native American
heritage is part of every facet of Mauro's life. I wondered when this began.
AMZ - "When did you become more interested in your Native American background?"
Mauro - "1990 is when I really immersed myself into ceremony."
AMZ - "Ceremony. So, you've done a vision quest?"
Mauro - "Yes. I've vision quested and I'm a Sun Dancer. Sun Dancing is a ceremony
that honors women, life, generations and water. It's a 4 day ceremony where the
participants do not drink water or eat food for the entire time, and there's flesh
offerings given. There's also purification before the ceremony and after for 4 days.
During the ceremonies you'd want to remove coffee out of your life. During that time
you'd want to get your thoughts pure. You'd want to try to purify all aspects of your
body, your emotional, spiritual, ethical life, your mind."
The next cut on IC2 is "On Our Way Home", a dedication to the medicine man who
presided at Mauro's sun dance. Martin High Bear, who Mauro describes as an
incredible human being and influence on the planet, passed away about 3 or 4 years
ago. This song is uplifting, jubilant and yet spiritual, which is the most consistent
theme throughout all of Mauro's works. There is a quality of rapture to this cut, which
is a real pleasure to listen to.
"Initiate" is the first of the peyote songs on this CD. Remembering that peyote is part
of the religious experience of Native American culture, this song and "Morning Song"
which comes up later on the CD reflects this very inward and spiritual aspect of some
of our indigenous cultures... These songs, illustrating two very different interactions,
and two very different approaches both appear to take the listener on the singer's
inner journey.
Of "Morning Song", Mauro comments, "That's a Peyote Song, that I wrote for my
daughter. And they're usually song in sets of four, but I only put one (two actually) on
there, 'cause I thought it was a little risky. Although Robbie Robertson, right after IC2
came out, his new CD has it on it too. Not "Morning Song", but another one."
This reviewer's favorite of the two peyote songs is the briefer "Morning Song" as it
expresses such simple beauty in the chant. I asked Mauro about this facet of his
songs.
AMZ - "There are a number of different songs within your CD, that have native
American Chant. Is there meaning in the words or are these traditional vocalizations?"
Mauro - "Both, and a third aspect which is just chanting. 'Hey Nay Oway' is a
traditional ending of Native American Peyote Song. They always tag the ending with
'Hey Nay Oway'. Other chantings just kind of fit the actual flow of the music, and it just
kind of happens the way it does."
When asked about the cut "Medicine Man" Mauro tells of another great influence in the
continuing inner quest he has taken with his life. The expression of this quest is
captivating, and invites us to partake of yet another taste of Mauro's experience.
Mauro - "That's about a man named Kingfisher, who is a big influence in my life. He's
a Northern Cheyenne, and he taught me the power of Mahaio, which is the spirit
helper. I named my daughter Mahaia..."
Mauro is in the building stage now of creating his recording studio in Colorado.
Mauro - "The new studio is being built, right now in Colorado, and it'll be ready in
August. It's my studio, and it's on top of an earth ship, which is a tire house; which is
what we have, my family and my daughter. We have an earth ship now in Colorado
which is going to be a beautiful music studio, and then we're going to move there out
of L.A., and I'm going to go ahead and start on the next project. It's the only way that
I'm going to be able to do it. I have to get away from here."
For a complete turn about in style and tone, "City of Angels" illustrates the emotional,
spiritual and physical cost of working in a conflicted environment. This is something
everyone can relate to in one form or another. Whether we thrive on stress or not,
there are times when the chaos of a driving environment overwhelms. Mauro deftly
relates his conflict with this environment in a musical exposure of his reaction to this
climate. It's quite an indictment of existence within a pressure cooker.
The next piece on the album is lighter, in fact, the feel is clean, light and soaring,
which matches perfectly the intent of the song. Mauro describes it below.
Mauro - "With 'Birds of Pray', it's one person, subconsciously talking underneath
whatever interaction is happening. One person is praying that the other will recognize
them from another life. Because the one person who is praying sees that the other
person is his or her soul mate, and is praying that they'll see it back. When they were
together in their last life, they were birds and he's trying to force that into the mind of
the other one; trying to help open that doorway."
Another example of the diverse cultural influences that Mauro draws upon is his
interpretation of the Gilgamesh stories. Of the next song, he says ".... it's kind of a
love story.... How impressive it would be to have that power and be enthralled with
one of the humans; to be able to show off. It's probably one of the most playful pieces
on the CD." "Nine Miles High" is this dynamic and lyrical piece of other world beings
here on Earth.
Mauro's talent is unmistakable. The question which arises now is what other
musicians influence him.
AMZ - "It's said that you've been influenced in the past be people like Peter Gabriel, or
U2. Are there are musical artists that you find influential now?"
Mauro - "Yeah! I'm finding all these incredible women so influential. The whole gamut
of the women around Lilith Fair. I'm just really taken with them, Paula Cole and Sheryl
Crowe. I'm really inspired by their energy, more than their music. Sarah McLachlan,
and I've ALWAYS been inspired by Kate Bush, and with her, it's more about her
music. To me, she's just this wild woman who's containing everything long enough to
get it onto a record. She comes up with the most unique rhythms and things, and she
actually manages to get a hit out of it too, climbing up that hill a few years ago."
This brings us to the tenth cut, which is actually two songs that work in tandem.
"Knights", which seemsHave you performed in front of an audience?Yes, in Los Angeles. I love playing live, especially if the stage is large. My large band fluctuates around 10 performers and the stealth at 5. Lots of times there are actors and "sets" when we perform. There are a few places I am not welcome to play anymore...something about 1st amendment violations....i dont know.
Your musical influences
I listen to everything a couple times. I love Kate Bush and the progressive kings like orignal Genesis and the directions that Gabriel took. Im a bit of a head bang too, the Stones, INXS, Motorhead, Jewel and all the girls...love that, its like my pistol is stamining (or something), good folk and classical (I was trained classicaly) and backwards stuff.What equipment do you use?
I record both analog and digital through some pretty old processor's as well as some new sonic trails. Things get souped around in a Studiomaster 16x16x8 Gold series. Lots of times Ill stick it to tape on a Fostex G series 16 track. I reverse tapes, boomerang effects, hijack nature and even transmit for compression! i think I can get pretty deep into all that and have....but nothing comes close to the technical quantums that I FEEL when something starts to create itself.Anything else?
I'd hope that the listener will really absorb the messages that have honored me through song. Homo-Sapien Sapien (us) have to move over now, our time is no longer wide open before us, due to our own lack of recognition in this Mother planet, Earth. Novus is here, being born...from our own psychic being. We have walked around unconscious of so much, even to the fact that we are creating our future, through our evolution...through Novus.
north hollywood, CA
USA
ID
839
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