Biography
Originally known as Tensey’s Fancy, the Australian ensemble featured Mara Kiek on vocals, tapan, darrabukka and tambourine, James Llewelyn Kiek handling bouzouki, guitar and bass, Jim Denly on flute, alto-saxophone, darrabukka and denleyphone, Mike Haughton contributing recorder, tenor and soprano saxophone plus vocals, and Paul Miller. Together they produced the group’s only release, a self-titled album that appeared in 1984. Danny Thompson, born 4 April 1939 in Teignmouth, Devon, England, and playing double bass, took Miller’s place, after which the band issued two well-received albums under the name Mara!. Their approach blended an unusually wide array of traditions, drawing on songs and melodies from France, Persia, Greece and Macedonia. In this setting the 15th-century ballad ‘Riturnella’ and more recent material alike revealed a deft fusion of European sources with jazz inflections. Steve Elphick later assumed the double-bass chair for further recordings.
Albums
