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A
Look At Machan's Brazilian Heart
Introducing
Machan a singer who carries her music with a Brazilian
Heart, influenced by an adult pop-meets-jazz sound and a striking
vocal countenance reinforced not by garish actions and flamboyant
declarations, but rather by her own heartfelt songs and the sincere
joy she receives from sharing those songs with others. It is that
passion for performing and that love of singing that led Machan
to work as a background vocalist for artists such as Sting,
Pink Floyd, Pat Benatar, and George Benson, along with stints
fronting both the Glenn Miller Orchestra and the smooth jazz ensemble
Hiroshima.
It
is not surprising that Machan
would develop a romantic and worldly approach to music. Her mother,
Ayako Sasaki, was a jazz vocalist in post-WWII Japan and her father,
Bernard L. Taylor, was a U.S. army sergeant major stationed in
Japan after the war as head of the MP Division. He booked bands
for the officer’s club on the side. He booked a trio, featuring
Machan’s mother and pianist Toshiko Akioshi, into the club,
and a romance was kindled.
Once
settled in New Jersey, the couple’s daughter was exposed
to music at an early age, and began performing ballet and tap.
By the age of twelve, Machan
had taught herself to play the guitar, emulating her early musical
heroes such as Joni Mitchell and James Taylor, and began performing
her songs in venues around her home town of Wharton, New Jersey.
In the ensuing years, Machan
worked with a string of local and national artists and studied
jazz theory and vocal performance at William Patterson College,
honing both her voice and skills as a songwriter.
Which
leads to Machan,
the singer’s eponymous solo debut. Combining soothing Brazilian
rhythms with expert song craft, Machan
is the culmination of her multi-cultural and multi-dimensional
wealth of experiences. It also reflects her ongoing desire to
parse her music down to its essence, to eliminate any unnecessary
extravagances, and to present herself to the listener as purely
and honestly as possible.
“After
working with so many different artists, this record is sort of
a new beginning for me, because it gives me the opportunity to
express who I am,” she says. “As an artist, it is a
real challenge to be true to yourself and not be swayed by other
people’s opinions, or by what is trendy or popular at the
moment. There is a real confidence that comes with finding who
you really are through music, and taking the chance of recording
that music for others to hear.”
At
least part of Machan's
confidence comes from allowing herself to be represented on her
debut not by popular standards or songs written by established
“song doctors,” but rather by her own original material.
“Three and a half years ago I got off the road after a tour
with Sting, and I felt that was the end of an era for me so far
as working as a background singer,” she recalls. “I
needed to find myself musically, and I did that by picking up
my guitar, which I had not really played in ten years because
I was so busy working as a singer.”
With
guitar in hand, song ideas began to flow, many of which ended
up on Machan's
debut album on A440 Music Group. The music reflects the singer’s
multitude of influences, as her inviting vocals weave softly around
warm Brazilian rhythms and adult pop melodies. The music is spiced
with hints of jazz and world music, making it the perfect antidote
to the pre-programmed, pre-conceived sounds that too often pass
for artistry in these times. In addition to her voice, the singer
adds her nylon and steel string guitar to the songs, which are
rounded out by musical acquaintances such as Richard Bona, Brian
Bromberg, and Randy Brecker.
“It’s
exciting and fulfilling to record music that completely represents
who I am, but at the same time I know I am taking a big leap,”
says Machan
who is now based in New York City. “If this opportunity came
earlier in my career, before I had so many diverse experiences
and worked with so many wonderful people, I might not have been
so ready, because I might not have had my feet so firmly planted
on the ground.” The singer credits her former employer, George
Benson, for impressing upon her the importance of developing consistent
performing abilities
Now,
she says, “the most important thing to me is honesty, and
finding that honesty within myself and being able to share it.
I’m ready to take that big leap.”
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