Simply put, Shai Maestro (b. 1987) is one of the most inventive pianists in Jazz today. Since debuting his trio in 2011, he has found his stride blending improvisation with composition and a diverse collection of outside influences. The result is a deeply personal sense of melodic complexity, paired with an expansive sensibility that can only be described as cinematic. Steeped in his childhood influences of Keith Jarrett and Oscar Peterson, his classical training offers a perfect launching point for him to explore a widening sphere of influence in the field of modern Jazz. Now, with keyboardist Gadi Lehavi, drummer Ofri Nehemya, and bassist Jorge Roeder, he pushes boundaries while blending spontaneity with a modern aesthetic. He was signed to French label naïve records in 2025.
Currently one of Portugal's most sought after musical exports, Maro fell onto my radar via a collaboration with The Paper Kites. Her voice is as delicate and lovely as any wild flower, somehow both impossibly fragile and utterly resilient. Featured here in a gorgeous duet with the acoustic piano, this is one of those rare pop songs that transmits an energy of pure live performance. This palpable sense of organic connection inhabits the listening experience throughout, as our ears delight in the fluid melody even as we are lulled into meditation by the force of Maro's unique vocal sensibility. To my ears, Maro's is one of those voices that if she were to simply sing names and numbers out of the phone book, it would still feel like something precious.
From Maro’s perspective, collaborating on “Gloria” for Maestro’s album Guesthouse is an invitation into a shared sonic and emotional space that resonates with her own values as an artist. If there were ever to exist something like a perfect musical partnership, this could be it. Maro's musical connection to the nuance of the figure is a perfect match for the fresh sensibility of an artist like Shai Maestro. With both artists having an impressive track record with regard to leaving space, "Gloria" extends a dynamic and passionate performance into a space as yet untouched: one that tempers subtlety with elements of surprise, and offsets exquisite beauty with fleeting moments of dissonance.
Maro has built a distinctive path as a singer, songwriter, multi‑instrumentalist, and producer: studying at the prestigious Berklee College of Music and emerging as one of Portugal’s most compelling contemporary voices.
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