L'Tanya Mari', a Jazz vocalist, arranger, and songwriter, is a talented musician whose dreams are to keep the vocal sounds of Jazz alive into the next millennium. A Philadelphia native, who has completed her graduate degree in Jazz Studies at the University of The Arts, hopes to utilize her talents throughout jazz's continual evolution.

While attending the University of The Arts, L'Tanya was met with many imaginable obstacles of revolving her identity as a vocalist into a musician. As vision, L'Tanya took on the challenge of advancing her vocal talents to an improvisation of ones self-creativity. With the use of classical vocal training along with jazz theory, L'Tanya has given of herself to share her talents to the world where Jazz is still a foreign language to many. "I have realized the importance of maintaining patience with time while studying the art form called jazz. Jazz is a lifetime journey in which you are constantly out at sea searching for a new horizon abroad."

For the past decade, L'Tanya has continued to advance her musicianship as a performer throughout the Philadelphia and Washington, DC metro area with her own accompanists at many social functions such as: jazz organizations, club venues, Sunday brunch venues, cafes, restaurants, corporate parties, and along with church, weddings and fraternity organizations and as a participant in community fundraisers/festivals. L'Tanya has also performed and recorded with many renowned East Coast musicians, jazz vocal groups and jazz ensembles and big bands.

L'Tanya's early years of musical training started as a cellist, followed by singing in church and in high school vocal groups. Her vocal coach, Patsy Rowe, inspired her to pursue a career as a musician. L'Tanya decided to pursue her goals by attending Howard University to obtain a degree in Music Business. She also studied Vocal Performance with the renowned drummer and articulate vocalist, Grady Tate. Studying with Mr. Tate helped define her talents as a vocalist, allowing her to perform a broad range of music with her own style while interpreting different genres of music.

Upon completing her Bachelor Degree in music business at Howard University, L'Tanya continued her musical studies with eminent saxophonist Herb Smith, music director of Northern Virginia College then to continue on to The University of the Arts to complete her masters degree with the assistance of advisor Don Gladen, and native renown vocal artists: Kelly Meashy, Reggie Pindell, and Annie Sciolla and with other legendary local artists, Steve Giordano Trudy Pitts Larry McKenna, and Bill Zaccanni

L'Tanya finds her inspiration and soul guidance in numbers of versatile musicians, such as Sara Vaughn, Ella Fitzgerald, Nancy Wilson, Dinah Washington, Dianna Reeves, Natalie Cole, Joe Henderson, Wayne Shorter, Miles Davis, Frank Sinatra, Leni Andrade, Anita O'Day, Astrud Gilberto, Vanessa Rubin, Shirley Horn, Diane Krall, Annie Lennox, and many more influential musicians. Her repertoire ranges from traditional jazz standards and Brazilian tunes to modern fusion.

While residing in Sterling,Virginia, L'Tanya Mari' has kept her promise to keep the sound of jazz alive by teaching and performing throughout Washington, DC and Northern Virginia. As a performer, L'Tanya has stretched her musical knowledge and experience by instructing vocal students to understand the fundamentals of music. Her area of expertise includes teaching vocal contemporary music as well as vocal pedagogy, beginning piano, music theory, and ear training.