Turiya Mareya

Mareya was raised in the vibrant border of Tijuana and San Diego. She started playing with Mexican dance bands at a young age and later studied jazz under the direction of Mr. Daniel Jackson, one of the West Coast jazz legends. She also studied at the Creative Music School in Woodstock, but most of her musical instruction came from the streets, the clubs, and fellow musicians. She began playing Latin jazz with the Tambu International Ensemble, moving to Veracruz and later living in Mexico City. Returning to the border, she was active in the jazz and Latin music scenes. She became the musical director and pianist for the Kokopelli Latin Jazz Ensemble and for 10 years worked major venues and festivals in the Southwest. In 2003, Turiya began working as a solo artist, going first to Juneau, Alaska, where she performed with Afro-Peruvian percussionist Antonio Diaz, and to Anchorage, where she performed with Hector Diaz y su Orquesta Tropical. She moved to Madrid in 2004 and was active in the incredible music scene there. In 2005, she toured Canada, based in Toronto. She also toured British Columbia, working with Adonis Puentes and Gilberto Moroeax on Vancouver Island. She returned to Tijuana in 2008, where she was Artist in Residence at Arte Sana in Playas de Tijuana. She headlined at the Ensenada Jazz Festival and the Rocky Point Jazz Festival in Sonora, Mexico. She also led the Binacional Jazz Descarga in Tijuana. In the spring of 2008, she toured the Yucatan Mayan Riviera in Mexico, performing in festivals and jazz venues there. She returned to Tijuana and was featured at the Afro-Caribbean Festival, the Baja Jazz Festival, and the M-Fest Jazz Festival. She performed in October of 2008 for the second year at the Puerto Peñasco Jazz Festival in Sonora, Mexico. She toured Canada in 2009, performing in British Columbia. She toured with Adonis Puentes, co-produced, and performed in the 1st annual Victoria Latin Jazz Fest and hosted the weekly Women's Showcase and Latin Jazz Jam Session at Hermann's Jazz Club. In the summer of 2009, she toured Israel with The International Ensemble. She recently has been working in Tijuana with the Tijuana Latin Jazz Project and with vocalists Adriana Primavera and Nidia Barajas. She is performing in the Tijuana Jazz Festival and appeared at the Anthology in San Diego with the Mahaba Jazz Artists. She also works with her Afro-Cuban Jazz Band - Turiya Mareya Latin Jazz Ensemble.