Michelle is a performing musician and composer based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Her music includes piano-based Latin Jazz and electronic music. 

In 2024, Michelle releases the EP "I'm Just Happy to Be Here," which marks her first musical release in 7 years, and her first release of new original music in 11 years. During her hiatus, Michelle homeschooled her son, who needed a change of educational scenery for a while. This time segued into the pandemic shutdown, and this was when Michelle learned how to produce electronic music, something she had been wanting to do for some time. Eventually Michelle honed the sound you hear on this EP, which merges electronic-production values, jazz sensibilities, and Latin and Brazilian rhythmic roots to come up with her unique collection of  compositions that can best be described as electronic jazz fusion.  

Sometimes the pieces on "I'm Just Happy to Be Here" veer more toward straight-ahead dance, as with "Tal Vez Para Voar" (deep house). Sometimes, they are harder to put into one genre, like "Alone Together,"  composed as for the San Jose Jazz organization's Jazz Aid Fund grant, which Michelle was awarded in 2023; the version here has elements of leftfield and broken beat. Hints of reggaeton ("Be Right Back-Remixed") and bossa nova ("New Brighton") also make an appearance. 

Prior to this EP, Michelle released her Latin Jazz CD, New Beginning (2013), which honors the roots of jazz, Brazilian, and Afro-Cuban music with originals compositions as well as arrangements of standards. The album garnered favorable press as well as worldwide airplay on around 200 satellite, public, and college radio stations, plus made JazzWeek's chart for "Top Adds" (among the CDs most added to playlists of chart-reporting radio stations). 

Michelle also released a Latin Jazz Christmas EP in 2017, a fun collection of classic holiday tunes reimagined with Latin and Brazilian rhythms. Featuring Ron Sotelo on bass, Sam Sotelo on drums, Willie Garza on percussion, and Michelle on piano, this EP remains a listener favorite in the holiday season.

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"Pollace’s music overflows with a strong artistic command, an authentic connection to the source material, and an infectious sense of cool...." -- by Chip Boaz, Latin Jazz Corner

"Pianist Michelle Pollace has a strong commanding presence on New Beginning. Like a baker, she has a way of gently whipping rhythms until they are cohesive and taut. ... Pollace digs in on every track, and songs like 'Forro' and 'Bright Eyes' evolve into mini-suites." -- by Marc Myers, JazzWax

"Striking out on her own and being a mom are not the only beginnings pianist Michelle Pollace has to be proud of; with New Beginning Michelle reveals the depth of her compositional skills and her talents as a Latin jazz pianist of note." -- by Edward Blanco, AllAboutJazz.com

www.michellepollace.com

Sparkling spirit & veritable vagabond Mary Beth Carty paints with a rainbow palette of roots-music motifs, fusing traditional song, instrumental tunes, & songwriting. An accordionist with a bag of pocket-sized instruments & a dedication to cultural-ecology, she brings joy to audiences of all ages, drawing them into an upbeat journey of emotions, times, & places.

Mary Beth is currently in production for her second solo album featuring Cape Breton’s best musicians and sound engineers. Stay tuned for album theme, title, and release date!

Mary Beth has performed well over 500 shows in her long-spanning career, and has had the opportunity to tour in North America, Europe, and Africa. Her debut solo album, 2017’s Les biens-nommés, earned nominations at the Nova Scotia Music Awards and the ECMA’s. It features original, accordion-fueled songs in French and English, with Donald MacLennan on violin and the Melchin brothers on double-bass and percussion.

As a member of now defunct duo Bette & Wallet, Mary Beth was nominated Traditional Singer of the Year at the 2009 Canadian Folk Music Awards. Her voice has been described as passionate and mesmerizing. Their most popular song, “Squeegees,” transforms a public domain French-Canadian song into a humorous, bilingual anthem about urban winter hardships.

In addition to her work as a solo artist, Mary Beth is in demand as a guitar accompanist for fiddlers and has performed with many of the best. She is known for her distinct, rhythmic style, keen ear, and mastery of the unusual DADGAD tuning.

Craic agus Ceol with North End Halifax's The Narrows. Tunes and song from Cape Breton, Newfoundland, back across the sea and through the ages.

Featuring the combined talents of Colin Carrigan, Jesse Lewis, Jon Goodman, Leanne Aucoin and Roy Maclaren.

bradley murphy is a gaelic singer and fiddler from unama’ki

 weaving together gaelic songs and tunes, driving fiddle rhythms are suspended by haunting melodies. his music is a true celebration of language and culture passed carefully through family and community hands.

Elyse Aeryn makes music for the wild hearts—those who crave connection, catharsis, and a little rebellion. 

Serving soulful roots-rock with a gritty edge, her songs feel like the windows rolled down on a late-night drive—equal parts raw power and tender reflection. With fierce vocals and heartfelt storytelling, Elyse delivers performances that hit you where it hurts yet heal you by her next breath. Whether you discovered her on a TikTok scroll or her voice found you through the radio airwaves, know this: there's a depth behind that first impression—a catalog full of hard-won truths, fearless energy, and moments that will make you feel seen.

www.moonandaries.com
MOON AND ARIES (Jordana and Tom: we are real human beings = "no AI" in our songs - all is handmade: composition & production by Tom, lyrics and vocals by Jordana. Plus our great team: guitar by Peter, saxophone by Hanna, mixing by Chris, mastering by Francois).
 “Moon and Aries” is a transcontinental music duo creating somatic soul music through cinematic expression. Their work is rooted in emotional presence and embodied listening - music that is felt in the body as much as it is heard. 
Formed in 2021 by Jordana Moon (Canada) and Tom Aries (Germany), Moon and Aries emerged from a long-distance creative collaboration grounded in trust, intuition, and shared inner awareness. Their music unfolds like scenes - reflective, spacious, and emotionally attuned - moving beyond genre into lived experience. Guided by a philosophy of melody meets meaning, Moon and Aries create music that supports grounding, connection, and inner regulation.
Moon and Aries create music not as background, but as somatic experience - a space to slow down, feel safely, and reconnect with oneself.
Their inspiration sprouts from a variety of genres and artists like k.d. lang, Shivaree, Lisa Stansfield, Portishead, Massive Attack, Depeche Mode, Röyksopp, ABBA,  Sade, Ms. Lauryn Hill, ELIZA and many more.  
MOON AND ARIES - MELODY MEETS MEANING: Somatic Soul - Cinematic Expression.
More? www.moonandaries.com

Mary Beth Carty is following