Five Minutes With: Vancouver Keyboardist/Composer Mary Ancheta

Mary Ancheta is a composer and bandleader for her group The Mary Ancheta Quartet that features Trent Otter on drums, Dominic Conway on sax, and Matt Reid on bass. She is a Canadian / Filipina artist who steps into the spotlight with her genre-bending organic, modern take on jazz and electro-funk.

Inspired by the likes of Squarepusher, The Meters, John Scofield, and Prince, Ancheta knows what’s up when it comes to arresting melodies and irresistible grooves. Encompassing her experience in film scoring, Ancheta seeks to tap into raw fuelled moments favouring grittiness over perfection.

The Feature Film she scored Golden Delicious is currently out on Apple TV+. Directed by Jason Karman, it has won multiple awards and screened at Film Festivals in Korea, NYC, Australia, Toronto, Atlanta, Hong Kong, Chicago to name a few.

The Mary Ancheta Quartet opened up for BADBADNOTGOOD at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre in Vancouver and performed Jazz Festival Mainstages all across Canada last summer including the renowned Montreal Jazz Festival. Other notable highlights for Mary include a show at Summerstage in Central Park – NYC, opening up for John Mayer with Mani Khaira, and performing for Roger Federer, Coco Lee, and Director Michael Moore.

Mary Ancheta

Name:

Mary Ancheta Quartet

Genre:

Electro-Funk, Modern Jazz

Founded:

2021

# of Albums:

1 EP

Latest Album:

Level Up EP

Latest Video:

Favourite musician growing up:

The Beatles

Favourite musician now:

Obongjayar

Guilty pleasure song:

Sailing by Christopher Cross

Live show ritual:

I remind myself to be grateful, to be open and to listen.

Favourite local musician:

Too many to pick just one but today I would say Ruby Singh. He has just released some really fantastic and innovative singles.

EP or LP?

EP

Early bird or night owl?

Early Bird

Road or studio?

Studio

Any shows or albums coming up?

We are currently writing a new album. Our latest single ‘Why Not’ was released January 5, 2024.

Where can we follow you?

FacebookInstagramYoutubeBandcampSoundcloud

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Rapid Fire Local Questions:

What is your favourite local restaurant?

Calabash

What is your favourite street in your city and why?

Beach Avenue. I love the area around Gilford Street by the Sylvia Hotel. I like the history of the Sylvia, the proximity to the beach, and the vibrancy of the West End.

What is your favourite park in your city and why?

Stanley Park – It’s green and lush and close to home so you can escape the city in the blink of an eye.

What is your favourite music venue in your city?

Ironworks, Guilt & Co. & Tyrant Studios

What is your favourite music store in your city?

Soulessentials Records

 

About Emilea Semancik 215 Articles
Emilea Semancik was born in North Vancouver. Emilea has always always wanted to work as a freelance writer and currently writes for the Vancouver Guardian. Taking influence from journalism culture surrounding the great and late Anthony Bourdain, she is a recipe author working towards publishing her own series of books. You can find her food blog on Instagram: