Recorded in Brooklyn, NY, and released on the Washington state-based Origin Records label in 2025, Blessed & Bewitched is a fine introduction to the music of Austria-based singer Maja Jaku. With her intriguing-sounding name and colorful background in her native Kosovo, Maja is sure to stir up interest with her Origin debut. Ostensibly free form jazz filled with a variety of jazz and pop influences, Blessed & Bewitched is tastefully driven by Maja’s strong vocals. In addition, Maja also wrote, or co-wrote, all the music here, so there’s also a spark of originality in her music that is equally enjoyable.

Co-produced by Maja and drummer/percussionist Adrian Varady, Blessed & Bewitched traverses a wide range of vocal-based jazz styles and moods, proving its diversity is its strength. Another element here is the R&B element in the sound of her voice. Moved by Maja’s solid voice, the album gives all the musicians here a strong focal point to not only support her voice but also provides a strong platform to solo. Assisting Maja and co-producer / drummer Adrian Varady is the solid backing of Michael Rodriguez (trumpet), Alan Bartuš (piano), Dezron Douglas (bass), and Johnathan Blake (drums).

Blessed & Bewitched finds Maja’s train-of-thought music guiding the listener through her own personal life experiences. The songs are powerful and relaxed, one obvious exception being “Blessing Will Come”, a good showcase song for the syncopated, punctuated drumming of Adrian Varady. Maja can take credit for writing and/or co-writing much of the music here, with the exception being the final track “Everything Must Change”, written by the late Bernard Ighner and “Never Let Me Go”, written by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans for singer Nat King Cole in 1956. Time well spent for jazz fans, Blessed & Bewitched is a resounding success from European-based singer-songwriter Maja Jaku. 

 

RMR presents an interview with MAJA JAKU

RMR: Tell us about growing up in Kosovo. Did you leave Kosovo because of the war, and how did growing up in a war zone affect you on a personal and professional basis and when did you arrive in Austria? And tell us about your diverse musical influences while you were growing up.

MAJA JAKU: I grew up in Kosovo, in a deeply musical family. My uncle was a bass guitarist, and my father is a trumpet player. I was raised surrounded by my father’s collection of Blue Note records, listening to the music of Lee Morgan, Horace Silver, Clifford Brown, Freddie Hubbard, and the Jazz Messengers. That was the sound of my childhood. I did listen to good pop music and Motown, but I was never really shaped by radio pop or rock.

I have to admit that I grew up primarily with jazz. My father is a jazz musician and a passionate record collector, and in the environment we lived in this was highly unusual. Ours was a small provincial town, and from our house you could always hear the sound of my father’s trumpet and this kind of music. People looked at us strangely. We stood out. At some point, I heard about the Jazz Academy in Graz, where Sheila Jordan, Mark Murphy, and Andy Bey were teaching. I felt an immediate pull toward that place.

While the war was escalating outside, I was preparing intensely for the entrance exam. There were curfews, violence, fear, and tension everywhere. People were being killed. Yet in my room, I was completely focused, preparing positively and with determination for the jazz academy in Graz. My goal existed independently of the war. But my preparation and my journey unfolded during it. In 1991, I set off for Graz by bus. Along the way, we were stopped. I stood there with the other passengers for three days, confused and frightened, surrounded by soldiers. I had no idea whether I would ever reach Graz. At one point, I gathered my courage, approached the soldiers, and told them that I was on my way to the jazz academy, that Andy Bey was expecting me there. They were completely bewildered—but somehow, they let me go. What happened to the other passengers, I don’t know. It was a terrifying situation.

Eventually, I arrived in Graz—late for the entrance exam. I remember Andy Bey waiting for me in a teahouse. I told him what had happened, and he simply said, “It’s okay, no problem. Sing something for me.” He accompanied me on the piano while I sang. When I finished, he said, “Don’t worry. You’re in my class—even if you missed the theory test.”

My happiness was indescribable. Yes, I arrived in Austria carrying deep trauma—but also immense hope.

 

RMR: How many albums have you recorded and released, and how would you compare your new album, Blessed & Bewitched, with your earlier albums? How do you feel your music and recordings changed or evolved over the years?

MAJA JAKU: I have recorded five albums and released one single with the major label Universal Music in Austria. Over the years, I have consistently recorded high-quality albums with outstanding musicians. I recorded my first album after becoming a mother, when my son was two years old. The second album came in a period when I met Jonathan Blake, who plays on that record. My third album was also recorded in Austria. The fourth album, Soul Searching, was recorded with the late trumpeter Jim Rotondi. The fifth album is Blessed and Bewitched. Each album carries a part of me, a fragment of my life.

I never approached my work with rigid ambition or strategic planning. As artists, we don’t really have deadlines for when we are supposed to speak. We speak when we feel the need to speak. In fact, there were ten years between my third and fourth albums—ten years filled with other experiences and life events. Whenever I felt inspired, or when I felt that I truly had something to say, I recorded an album.

Today, these albums represent a kind of wealth to me: the wealth of having a large repertoire, the wealth of being prepared, and the wealth of deep experience—both in the studio and in organization. I love the studio, and I have to admit that I love recording albums. A recording remains. It stays. It becomes something that can serve a greater good.

Concerts are beautiful, but they are fleeting; they pass and are quickly forgotten. An album, on the other hand, is like a book. It is a part of yourself that you give to the world, never knowing who might discover it, who might listen to it—perhaps even future generations. People often reach out to say they were inspired, and that is deeply meaningful.

For now, Blessed & Bewitched is perhaps the album that comes closest to who I truly am. It feels as though I have finally allowed myself to fully inhabit my own creative voice and to say, “Yes, this is me.” How things will continue to unfold, we will see—but this moment feels honest and complete.

 

RMR: How did you come to meet and work with your co-producer, Adrian Varady, and what was it like recording Blessed & Bewitched in Brooklyn, New York? What are your impressions of Brooklyn and New York overall? How long did it take to record the album, and did you pick and choose the tracks and the musicians that accompany you?

MAJA JAKU: I met Adrian Varady at Jam Music Lab, the university where I teach and where I lead my own vocal class. At the time, I was directing a stage band, and the entire school was already talking about Adrian and his brother — about how they had played with Quincy Jones’ Global Gumbo Band and performed on the world’s biggest stages. Adrian had already played major international venues at the age of thirteen and had formed a very close bond with Quincy. When Adrian joined my stage band as a student and sat behind the drums, I immediately recognized his exceptional talent. What struck me most was his maturity — something far beyond his years. Very quickly, we began talking about music, about records, about sound.

He then shared his own compositions with me. The harmonies he played — the colors, the tensions — were exactly what I have always been obsessed with: dark chords, strong approach tones, deep harmonic language. I was completely captivated. We began spending time together, playing gigs, making music, and very soon our relationship moved beyond teacher and student. We became colleagues and close friends. Despite the generational gap between us — Adrian is very young — musically we were on the same frequency, on the same level. He was full of stories about Quincy, while he was deeply curious about my stories of Sheila Jordan, Andy Bey, and the people I had met through the jazz scene. We were obsessed with conversation and music, and it became clear very quickly that we shared the same taste, the same musical sensibility. The collaboration happened spontaneously and honestly.

I always say that one should work sincerely, with what is present in the moment, and what I received was a true diamond. A young, deeply creative musician, rich in experience, with whom I shared an incredibly strong musical connection. This is how two songs were born. The first, “The Witch,” is a song about female intuition, empathy, and inner power. It is built around Adrian’s “dark chords,” as we called them — harmonies we both deeply love. I wrote the bass line, and the song unfolded organically.

The second piece, “Lonely Little Fox,” is Adrian Varady’s composition, inspired by the life and traumas of Quincy Jones, who has profoundly influenced him. The song tells the story of a little fox moving through the world — cold, vulnerable, struggling — yet ultimately surviving and prevailing. That fox is Quincy, but it is also all of us. All of us who, despite trauma, manage to find the light and rise again. This is how our collaboration began — and it continues to this day. I believe it will carry on into the next album as well, and I truly look forward to what is still to come.

Recording the album Blessed & Bewitched in Brooklyn, New York, was truly an inspiring experience. Brooklyn has a unique energy – creative, urban, somewhat raw, yet warm and genuine at the same time. Every street, every corner tells its own story, and that diversity influences the music and how you feel every note. New York as a whole is a city of contrasts and possibilities. Its rhythm, its noise, the people from all over the world – all of this creates a vibe you won’t find anywhere else. You constantly feel the struggle, but also the passion, inspiration, and freedom to express yourself. Recording in such an environment gives you extra energy and motivation, because the city both challenges you and supports you.

The recording lasted two days, and I carefully selected the tracks and musicians – Jonathan Blake, Dezron Douglas, and Michael Rodrigues – who brought their experience, energy, and the spirit of New York into every note. It’s the feeling that everything is just right, that every note comes from your vision, and that you’re in the right place, at the right time, doing exactly what you’re meant to do.

 

RMR: How would you compare the music scene in Austria with the music scene in New York and the US overall, and what are some of your current favorite artists in Austria and the US?

MAJA JAKU: It is difficult to compare the two scenes because, in essence, they are not comparable, but I can make a distinction between jazz in Austria and in America. The Austrian jazz scene is small, yet there are exceptional musicians. They have a distinct European approach — incorporating harmonicas, world music elements, some violin arrangements, and a unique vibe that is very much their own. There are also excellent clubs, for example, in Vienna, and highly talented performers, such as guitarist Karl Ratzer, who truly deserve recognition. However, American jazz is the scene from which I come and the one I love and seek the most. It is a scene that inspires me with its music, its rhythm, energy, and groove. That jazz is full, alive, grounded in language and rhythm that resonates deeply with me. Language itself carries rhythmic energy, which is profoundly felt in the music.

Some of my favorite contemporary American musicians are my friends Jonathan Blake, Robert Hurst, Christian McBride, Gregory Hutchinson, and Jameson Ross. Their music, energy, and approach inspire me, whether through their instruments or vocals. Although I come from Europe, the American jazz scene has remained my greatest inspiration — the place where I find the language and sound I love the most.

 

RMR: Tell us about working with your other co-writers and what made you want to cover the songs “Never Let Me Go” and the Bernard Ighner classic “Everything Must Change”? Are those songs long-time favorites of yours and can you mention a couple of your other personal favorites on your new album?

MAJA JAKU: What inspired me to record the song “Everything Must Change” was its lyrics. I love singing pictures from life, I love singing that kind of life wisdom. I adore this song and have been singing it for many years. Whenever we perform it live, people are emotionally moved because they connect with the images I convey. I love singing it with complete rhythmic freedom, with pauses, giving weight to every word, because I truly feel it.

I’ve also been singing “Never Let Me Go” for a long time, and recently I’ve been in a Shirley Horne phase, who is one of my favorite singers. Listening to her version of “Never Let Me Go” brought me back to my own interpretation. I always sing about what is happening in my life, and that’s why this song has resonated so deeply with me. My decision to record these songs came entirely honestly, from my personal emotional connection to them. My key favorites on the album are “The Witch”, “Blessing Will Come”, and “Never Let Me Go”.

 

RMR: How did you come to meet up with Origin Records, and in what ways was Origin involved in the album overall?

MAJA JAKU: My connection with Origin Records happened completely by chance, but as I like to say, nothing is accidental. I sent my recordings to a few labels because I wanted an American label; the whole project took place in the U.S. with American musicians, and it felt most honest for the album to be released there. Origin Records immediately impressed me.

Although I don’t personally know John Bishop, it turned out that we have many mutual friends among musicians. I had never met him before, only through his label. Despite that, his professionalism and dedication immediately impressed me, and I was thrilled to start working with them. Origin Records also collaborates with JAM Music Lab in Vienna, where I teach, and they have just released an album with Peter Erskine and JAM Music Lab students. I truly couldn’t have wished for a better label for my debut album, and I’m so happy to be part of the Origin Records family.

 

RMR: What plans do you have for 2026 as far as concerts, composing, and recording, and what kind of album would you like to record next?

MAJA JAKU: For 2026, I want to grow, to open my heart and spirit, and to nurture my health and inner balance. I find inspiration in music, in my musical muse, in the cosmos guiding every step I take, and in the love that fuels everything I create. I’m planning many festivals and concerts, working diligently with my team, because everything I make comes from genuine passion and love for music. In 2026, I am opening doors to new experiences — interviews, podcasts, collaborations with incredible radio stations — all to share my music with as many people as possible. My dream is to perform in America, and I trust that the energy I put into my music and self-growth will lead me toward that dream.

I’m also working on my second album, allowing inspiration and cosmic energy to guide me. If the universe is willing, next year I plan to return to New York, carrying new strength and vision. Everything I do carries the imprint of my heart, an open mind, and faith in the magic of music and the energy that connects us all.