Heather Maxwell
| Heather Maxwell | |
|---|---|
Maxwell with Inner Rhythm at Gravity Lounge
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| Background information | |
| Born | December 31, 1949 |
| Genres | Malian, jazz, world, AfroPop, R&B, alternative rock |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, musician |
| Instruments | Piano, percussion |
| Years active | 1990–present |
| Labels | Samassa, Random Chance, EMI |
| Associated acts | Inner Rhythm |
Heather Maxwell is an American singer-songwriter and radio host. She sings jazz standards and composes original works on piano, kamalen n'goni, balafon, and percussion. She has performed worldwide, especially in Africa, with musicians such as Robert Jospé, Victor Dvoskin, Bassekou Kouyate, Manuel Wandji, and Mighty Popo. She produces and hosts the award-winning radio and TV program Music Time in Africa for the Voice of America.
Maxwell was born Flint, Michigan and began singing at age 7 with her family's gospel band, as they toured and competed in talent shows throughout the state. In high school, she won a scholarship to study voice at Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan, where she received formal jazz and classical training. She continued her music studies in voice at the University of Michigan's School of Music. During this time she became fascinated with African music and took a semester abroad to study traditional music and dance at the University of Ghana, Legon-Ghana, West Africa. She returned to Michigan and received her degree in 1988.
Heather returned to West Africa with the Peace Corps and observed vocal styles, this time in Mali and Ivory Coast. She released two commercial cassette recordings on the West African label Samasa and EMI and toured in West Africa. She returned to the U.S. with an Ivorian jazz pianist to build on the Afrojazz fusion developed in Ivory Coast but were met with limited success. In the late-1990s Maxwell changed course from performance to academe. She entered the ethnomusicology program at Indiana University and devoted a decade to the study of African music. By 2003, she earned her master's degree, returned to Mali for more music research, and completed her Ph.D. in Malian music. She took a teaching position in ethnomusicology at the University of Virginia where she established her own Afropop ensemble, Africa Soul, and joined drummer Robert Jospé and his group Inner Rhythm.
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