María Rivas (January 26, 1960 – September 19, 2019) was a Venezuelan

Latin jazz Latin jazz is a genre of jazz with Latin American rhythms. The two main categories are Afro-Cuban jazz, rhythmically based on Cuban popular dance music, with a rhythm section employing ostinato patterns or a clave (rhythm), clave, and Afro-Brazil ...

singer, composer, and painter.

Career

Born in

Caracas, Venezuela Caracas ( , ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas (CCS), is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the northern p ...

of a Spanish mother and

Venezuelan Venezuelans (Spanish language, Spanish: ''venezolanos'') are the Citizenship, citizens identified with the country of Venezuela. This connection may be through citizenship, descent or cultural. For most Venezuelans, many or all of these connect ...

father, Rivas gradually built her voice skills as a hobby, absorbing the multiple influences of contemporary Venezuelan and Latin musicians. She then began singing professionally in local night clubs starting in 1983, but soon moved to

Aruba Aruba, officially the Country of Aruba, is a constituent island country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, in the southern Caribbean Sea north of the Venezuelan peninsula of Paraguaná Peninsula, Paraguaná and northwest of Curaçao. In 19 ...

where, for 2½ years, she performed in a nightly jazz show named ''Sentimental Journey Through Jazz'', much of its material; in the style of

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April25, 1917June15, 1996) was an American singer, songwriter and composer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phra ...

and other notable divas. Rivas became a leading voice in the region's environmental movement, and her musical message as a composer often had ecological undertones. In 2005 Rivas returned to

to be part of the show "God Save The Queen", a tribute to the rock band

Queen Queen most commonly refers to: * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen (band), a British rock band Queen or QUEEN may also refer to: Monarchy * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Q ...

. Since 2006 Rivas spent 4 months each year in Tokyo, where she found acclaim for her performances of Brazilian and Latin Jazz, along with Classic American Jazz, sharing the summertime stage with the Indigo Trio, a local jazz ensemble in

Roppongi Roppongi (, , 'six trees') is a district of Minato, Tokyo, Minato, Tokyo, Japan, famous for the affluent Roppongi Hills development area and popular night club scene. A few foreign embassies are located near Roppongi, and the night life is popu ...

, Japan. Rivas recorded eleven albums as a soloist. Her latest CD, MOTIVOS, was released in 2018 and nominated for a Latin Grammy for the 19th Annual Latin Grammy Awards. She performed live in

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

, Brazil,

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

, the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

, Italy,

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

, France, Germany,

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

, Spain, Great Britain, the

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...

, and the United States. In 2008 Rivas celebrated her 25th anniversary since starting her long career, with special homage concerts dedicated to the much-beloved ''Maestro'' Aldemaro Romero, who died in 2007 at 79 years of age, featuring Romero's music and arrangements. In 2012–2013 Rivas celebrated her 30th anniversary as a vocalist, composer and recording artist, with special concerts performed throughout Venezuela and the United States.

Discography

*'' Primogénito'' (first Compact Disc made in Venezuela, 1990) *''Manduco'' (1992) *''Mapalé'' (1994) *'' Muaré'' (1996) *''Café Negrito'' (1999) *''En Concierto: Maria Rivas y Aldemaro Romero'' (2003), *'' Aquador'' (Soloist and composer, 2005) *''María Rivas: 18 Grandes Éxitos'' (2006) *''Pepiada Queen'' (2007) *''Live Lunch Break'' (Recorded Live, 2010) *''Motivos'' (2018)

References

External links

Official Maria Rivas English Language Home pageOfficial Maria Rivas Spanish Language Home pagemararivasmusicSuena triste ‘El Manduco’: Cáncer acaba con la vida de la cantante María Rivas
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rivas, Maria 1960 births 2019 deaths Latin jazz singers Singers from Caracas 21st-century Venezuelan women singers Venezuelan people of Spanish descent 20th-century Venezuelan women singers Women in Latin music