"sing for everybody-sing for nobody..."

Photo © 2011Catherine Acin

"Irresistable , heartfelt songs in a beautifully produced collection - inspired music making" says Robyn Johnston ABC Radio National on Kavisha's new cd "Love and Sorrow"

"Her voice flows like tears of joy and sorrow. There’s a saltiness and warmth of sensuality here that sings the great bitter sweet song of life. Kavisha Mazzella may have the first and last letters of the alphabet in her name but in truth, there’s a power and presence in her stage performance which is simply beyond words." says Colum Sands - "Rootin'About" for RTE Radio in Dublin. Folkclub BBC Radio Ulster

"Clear and beautiful vocals"says
Bruce Elder - Sydney Morning Herald

"Mazzella's voice has a wonderful purity of tone and can lift over a melodic line with bell-like, weightless grace."says
Jessica Nichols -The Age

"She sings with the voice of a heartbroken angel"Victoria Laurie -The Australian

"Her songs have a great sense of melody and lyrical depth..."
Jim Lee, Dirty Linen Magazine UK

Kavisha on YOUTUBE

2012 New YOU TUBE GECKO SONG from new album"Love and Sorrow "

2012 New YOU TUBE AMOUR from new album "Love and Sorrow "

2012 New YOU TUBE INVISIBLE INDIVISIBLE from "Mermaids in the Well"

2012 New YOUTUBE BELLA CIAO from Kavisha and I Viaggiatori " Suitcase Serenata"

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Kavisha's gigs at a quick glance

© photo Sergio Scudery

Feb 5th Fairfield Summer Concert Series Feb 5th Kavisha with La Voce Della Luna Italian Women's CHOIR

Feb 19th 5pm-6pm  EMPTY SKY Mediation and Chant participatory singing session at Northcote Uniting Church with Jarek

Feb 24-26th Adelaide Fringe Festival with Arjun Raina's play" The Convict, the Colonial and the Cockatoo"

March 2-5th Nannup Music Festival WA Long weekend of March 2-5th

March 11 BARRIO Adelaide Festival SA with La Voce Della Luna Italian Women's Choir.

March 12th at  Womadelaide SA with La Voce Della Luna Italian Women's Choir.

March 18th Ettalong Beach Festival NSW March 18th

April 1st Montsalvat Eltham Melbourne VIC 4pm Kavisha SOLO show with special guests

April 13-15 Fairbridge Festival WA

April 20th KULCHA Multicultural Arts Centre WA  Kavisha solo show with special guests.

2013  highlights & shows

Kavisha with I Viaggiatori Italian Folk Band accompanying the 1924 silent film Dall' Italia All' Australia for 10 days on the Island Festival, Tasmania March 2013


 



BIOGRAPHY

ARIA award winner Kavisha Mazzella 's songs combine the ingredients of earthy ,sensual vocals with deep lyrics that have humourous,poetic,social justice and mystic themes.They take you on an uplifting boundary riding adventure as she visits traditional italian folk and her own well crafted songs that ring with echoes of celtic,fado and gypsy influences. Many people listen to Kavisha 's music when they're  going through personal changes .Whether they are getting married, having babies, or while they're dying, It strikes a deep chord within.

Born in London, England, to an Italian father and Anglo- Burmese mother and migrating to Australia in the early sixties, Kavisha comes from a musical family. Her maternal Grandmother played old folk tunes on banjo and sang in the church choir , her mother played guitar and sang and was her first guitar teacher.Her paternal uncle Isidoro Mazzella is a singer of the Neopolitan Bel Canto tradition and her daughter Kiki Wilmot is becoming a fine singer with her own style.Her Brother Marco Mazzella, a deaf musician  has written many beautiful songs such as One Day and another brother Giri Antonio Mazzella is a fine actor,clown doctor and has a background in classical singing having been a child soloist at Saint Mary's Cathedral Choir in Perth.

Born amongst a family of singers , it was her destiny to sing.Whilst studying fine art at Claremont Art School ,Kavisha started playing at a local winebar to pay for her paints and got carried away by music! In 1987 She met up with John Reed and formed Rich 'N' Famous .They were joined by Lee Buddle , Gary Burke, Rueben Kooperman, and Peter Grayling in Fremantle .In 1993 she migrated to Melbourne embarking on her solo career.

ITALIAN FOLK. Since the late 80's she has  also been exploring her  musical heritage of  Italian Folk Roots music and is one of Australia's finest exponents of the Italian Folksong Tradition. She also sings from time to time with her brother Giri Antonio Mazzella  in the Commedia Academy of Australia's The Black Nonnas Music Theatre and with i Viaggiatori (the Travellers) Italian Folk Band.She also leads the Melbourne Italian Women's Choir "La Voce Della Luna"

MEDITATION. Brought up in a strict but loving Catholic family, Kavisha loved singing in the choir and was fascinated by stories of the saints but eventually rebelled against going to church. When Kavisha was 17 years old , her spiritual search  led her to doing  a 10 day Vipassana  course with John Coleman. It's life changing effect whetted her appetite for deeper spiritual experience and she did several Vipassana Courses including one in Dharmagiri India with Goenkaji. At age of  21 she came across Osho Rajneesh ,  and soon after became a sannyasin being given the name "Dharma Kavisha" meaning The Path of the Goddess of Poetry.  Kavisha has also explored  Dzogchen in Tibetan Buddhism , Advaita Philosophy with Sailor Bob and is currently a student at the Wu Wei Tai Chi School .Kavisha brings all these influences into her choir teaching , ecstatic singing style  and exploration of silence through meditative singing in Empty Sky Kirtan.

HEALING THROUGH SONG  in Empty Sky Kirtan....Kavisha together with guest musicians including Jarek Czechowicz runs a Meditation, Song and Silence group once a month  at Northcote Uniting Church called" Empty Sky "in which  meditative chants and songs from different sacred world traditions are sung interspersed by periods of silence.This is held every third Sunday of the month  from 5pm-6pm.Donation is $10.

CHOIRS .Kavisha also  leads a multifaith multicultural choir at Manningham Arts Centre called the United Nations Of Song which  is open every term to new members.Here we explore the  common ground in culture and faith in a fun relaxed atmosphere. Also Kavisha runs a choir for friends,family and those on their healing journey from mental Illness.Kindly  sponsored by the Mental Illness Fellowship Victoria this is called The Moon's A Balloon Choir.

FESTIVALS. Since 1991, Kavisha has performed at  many Australian Folk Festivals  such as Toodjay Folk festval,Maleny, Fairbridge,Port Fairy and Woodford and International music festivals that include Australia -Ireland Festival Dublin,Cork Arts Festival Ireland, Edinburgh Fringe Festival Scotland,Calgary Folk Festival Canada,European Union Broadcasters Festival Miscolc Hungary, Femme Funk festival New Caledonia... and Whare Flats festival New Zealand. In July 2011 Kavisha was invited  as a singing mentor in EthnoHistria festival  in Slovenia EU.

 

Mavis Goes To Timor Choir 2001 photo© Jon Greene

Awards and Nominations

Kavisha Mazzella AM. In 2011 Kavisha recieved an Australia Day Honour .She has been made a Member of the  Order Of Australia (AM) in   for services to singing, songwriting and reflecting Indigenous, Multicultural and Refugee experiences through performances . Also in 2011 Kavisha was awarded the National Film and Sound Archive Award for outstanding cd "Love and Sorrow", Victorian Multicultural Commission Excellence Award in Community Arts 2008 ,Port Fairy Artist Of The Year  2004, ARIA nomination 2003 for Best World Release" Silver Hook Tango",Italian Government award Italia Nel Mondo Award 2000 ,

Other awards include the Australian World Music Awards  Best Female Artist Thredbo 1999,ARIA 1998 ( Australian Recording Industry Award ) for Best World Music  Album of the year "Fisherman's Daughter ", GREENROOM AWARD 1996 Musical Direction of "Emma Celebrazione" by Graham Pitts , the WAMIA 1993 Outstanding Female Vocalist WAMIA (West Australia Music Industry Award) 1990 Songwriting Prize for "Wedding Sheets"

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Kavisha Music

Kavisha's Events

Love and Sorrow

 

 

*Love and Sorrow has won the  National Film and Sound Archive Award for best Cd release at the National Folk Festival ,Easter 2011.

 

"ARIA award winning artist, Kavisha Mazzella, delivers another album, featuring her exemplary songwriting and singing skills. Her songs marry the rich folk music traditions of her Italian parentage, with an ability to articulate the contemporary everyday. This album produced by Chilean guitarist Nano Stern, has a sweet musicality that enhances Kavisha’s sweet,marvelous voice."Paul Barr Readings Books and Music

Love & Sorrow Kavisha Mazzella Black Market Music

**** (four stars)

 

"Subtle multi-instrumental colouring from producer, Nano Stern allied to an exemplary sound engineering and mixing job by Harry Williamson, has helped convert a batch of characteristically well-crafted songs into Mazzella’s magnum opus. Love & Sorrow certainly has an epic sweep"  **** Tony Hillier     The Weekend Australian

Price is $25 plus postage $5

Booklet of lyrics and drawings are inside front cover! ENJOY!

Purchase Kavisha's CDs

 

For Music Shop sales, please contact John Durr @ Black Market Music  Australia +61 (03) 93268886

If you dont have credit card facilities, you can send a cheque or money order  with the postal address to

Kavisha Mazzella CDs

PO box 44 Coburg 3058

For 1 cd $25 each plus postage of $5

BUT for 3 cds(Mermaids,Fishermans Daughter Silver Hook Tango) there is a special offer of $20 each plus postage as per below in Paypal= $60 +$7 postage=$67

All four cds (Mermaids,Fisherman's Daughter ,Silver Hook Tango,Love and Sorrow)= $85+ $7 postage=$92

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Mermaids in the Well 1995

Under the loving guidance and musical arrangements of Lee Buddle (Soundmine Studios Perth West Australia) and John Reed, this album took 5 years to make! It was released in 1995 Features INVISIBLE INDIVISIBLE .Enjoy!

Fisherman's Daughter 1998 ARIA WINNER

Kavisha collaborated with one of Australia's best loved singer-songwriters Michael Thomas ( ex-Weddings, Parties, Anything) to create " Fisherman's Daughter".The album won the 1998 ARIA award for the best Traditional/Folk/ World music album of the year. One of the album's songs "Big Blue Above" was chosen for Australian t.v series Seachange.Features GYPSY SONG.

Silver Hook Tango 2003 ARIA nominee

"Kavisha Mazzella, one of the brightest stars on the Australian folk scene, has produced a beauty with her fourth and latest enstallment "Silver Hook Tango." Taking the masterstroke perfect musical settings to accompany her dreamy poetic word pictures. Mazzella's beautiful singing works so well with Gerry O'Beirne's ravishing impressionistic array of guitar sounds."Paul Barr ,Readings Book shop Carlton Melbourne.  Features SILVER HOOK TANGO, VENEZUELA.

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