Primary Reflection by Andre Maranhao [ma don YO]

It is my sincere hope that the peace and joy it has brought me through the grace of the infinite will be experienced in like measure within your soul as well. Enjoy!

Andre Maranhao - Biography

All creatures on this planet communicate in the language of music in one form or another. Most people learn how to communicate linguistically, and are only peripherally acquainted with the language of music, but some people acquire a musical vernacular very early...

I began playing when I was three, due to the kindness of my mother, whose idea it was to buy a small spinet piano and plant it directly in the bedroom that my brother and I shared. My father was the generous financier of that and the many lessons that followed. I fell in love with the instrument immediately and was tinkering on it long before I was taking lessons. I didn't completely know it at the time, but I think it drew me in partly because it allowed me to express deep feelings that my youth couldn't articulate. But mostly it just felt good, like swimming underwater does, or like the giddy feeling you get (or used to get!) when riding a roller coaster. I knew at a very early age that the universe granted me a wonderful gift, but it was not until many years later that would have the courage to share it with the general public. I chose not to pursue music in college and instead focused on earning a specialized degree in psychology, philosophy and computer science, which has actually served me quite well. For the next 15 years, I relegated my playing to my own recording studio, punctuated only by occasional small public appearances at friends' weddings, talent shows, and parties.

But I always had a deep conviction in my core that this gift was not meant for me alone. So in 1994 when I was 29, I made a demo tape for a CD of electronic music that was to be entitled FalconDance. It showcased what I considered to be three of my better songs. When I was 30, I met a supportive friend named Vincent James (LoveSongs.Com) who prompted me to actually get out and start playing at small coffee houses. In 2000, I took control of my money-earning career path and started my own computer business, giving me the freedom, autonomy (and let's not forget - money!) I needed in order to do music. The first thing I did was purchase a grand piano. A music theory class at West Chester followed. My confidence and skill grew more as I played monthly during the next 3 years at the Buzzware in Arden, Delaware, where the people are very supportive and kind. If you're a musician who is afraid to take that first public step, I would highly recommend going to Arden (contact me if you would like directions) or something local to where you live that hosts an open stage.

Improvisation is hard to capture when it's not recorded, so in the summer of 2004, after years of frustration at having just played some fantastic improvisational piano music and not having it recorded, I purchased a simple digital recording device, and in the next 2 months I accumulated about 20 hours worth of music, and during the next several weeks after that, whittled that number down to about an hour of music presentable enough to allow people to hear it on my CD, Primary Reflection..

I will be playing out more regularly, and if you would like to be put on my mailing list you can drop me a line at andre@andremar.com. A follow up CD with polished versions of these and new songs is already in the works. On the horizon is the completion of my first electronic CD called Falcondance. With your support it is my hope to continue playing and sharing my music with as many people as possible.

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