Biography
Denise Marie divides her time between Europe and New Orleans playing festivals and club dates and making records.
She is influenced by many styles of music and calls her own style “bayou blues, swampy jazz and funky folk” with a world music flavor in the mix. She’ll play any guitar she can get her hands on, acoustic, electric, dobro, tenor guitar, finger-picking the old time blues, strumming, slide guitar and open tunings. She also sings while playing the middle eastern riqq, a percussion instrument.
The sultry air of The Crescent City (as well as the years she lived in New Mexico, rural upstate New York and Europe) can be felt in her voice and her songs, which tell tales of love, loss and political concerns. The whispering wind, long and lonely roads, and city lights from the 28th floor are all inspiration for her songwriting.
She’s been performing since childhood, both as a solo artist and later leading her own bands. She’s also been a side musician in rock bands, R&B bands, hip-hop and jazz bands.
Her most recent CD ‘Aphrodite and Outlaws’ is primarily an acoustic recording supported by her musician friends in New Orleans who add percussion, occasional upright bass, trumpet and harmonica. Offbeat Magazine says, “Once again Marie raises the bar of personal excellence ... a folky-bluesy-jazzy-world based sonic landscape.” She also produced and arranged the music for her two previous CD’s: ‘Blue Tutu’ (2001) which features her sassy electric guitar licks and ‘Open The Door’ (1998) her first CD. Of a concert she gave in Germany The Solingen Tageblatt said, “Denise Marie’s mixture of strong and soft, smoky and tender voice, complemented by her guitar playing, made for a purely beautiful concert.”
Teaching
Denise Marie has taught workshops in guitar and songwriting at Plymouth College in England, and The X in Oxford, as well as private lessons in Europe and the US. To schedule a workshop or private lessons, see the contact page at this site.
Performance Highlights
New Orleans: The New Orleans Jazz And Heritage Festival, The French Quarter Festival, Tipitina’s, The House Of Blues, Snug Harbour
Italy: Stradeblu Festival, Be Bop-Firenze, Pegaso-Arcola (SP), Arci Locomotiva,Osnago (LE), La Stazione-Urbino
The Netherlands: The Folkwoods Festival, The Haarlem Jazz Festival, Crossroads Radio, The Last Waterhole-Amsterdam, Desafinado
England: The Marlborough Jazz Festival, The Troubadour Club-London, The Twelve Bar Club-London, The Bath Fringe Festival, The Sheep Music Festival-Wales
Belgium: Crossroads Blues Café-Antwerpe, Toogenblik-Brussels
Germany: The Mettman Blues Week, The Music Star-Hamburg, Berlin Guitars-Berlin
Ireland: Roisin Dubh-Galway, The Seamus Ennis Cultural Centre-Naul, Dublin, Richardsons-Galway, The Vartry House-Wicklow, Roddens-Donegal, Mullens-Downpatrick, N.Ireland, Groucho’s Music Lounge-Armagh, N. Ireland
France: Concert In The Square-Uzes
New Mexico: Club West, Summer Scene Concert Series, The Taos Inn, La Fonda, La Posada, El Farol, The Cowgirl Hall Of Fame, Outside In (bringing music into institutions)
New York: The Living Room
Florida: Radio Live! WUWF-Pensacola
Discography
Aphrodite and Outlaws, Little Hummingbird Music 2004
Blue Tutu, Little Hummingbird Music 2001
Open The Door, Little Hummingbird Music 1998
Compilations
New Orleans Tribute to Joni Mitchell Vol 1 & 2
Guest Appearances
Beth Patterson - Hybrid Vigor, Little Blue Men Records
Patrick O’Flaherty-Andrea’s Brown Eyes
