Maritri Garrett
August 31, 1964-March 10, 2026
OUR BELOVED MARITRI HAS PASSED. She was our leader, our inspriration, our cheerleader but above all our dear, dear sister. We miss her terribly, but celebrate the gift of her warm presence for the time that we had her. She was a truly magical persona; whip-smart, disarmingly witty, effortlessly charismatic and a staggeringly talented musician and songwriter. She was generous to a fault, leading others to find the key to their own talents and welcoming all she came into contact with. She was a loving, empathetic connector of people, serving as the point of contact for numerous artists and artists both in the US and internationally. She was highly respected as a teacher, singer, pianist, cellist and guitarist, while her reputation as a storyteller earned her a fiercely loyal following from both her fans and her peers. We urge you to rediscover her music, and let it cover you in its subtle, enigmatic warmth.
The Soulfolk Experience organically formed in late 2008, around Maritri’s weekly appearances at NYC restaurant VOYAGE, part of Marcos Luis’ One Mic Nite open mic series. Maritri’s reputation quickly drew a stellar lineup of NY-based Soul, Blues and Rock singer-songwriters to the informal event, resulting in soaring 5-part harmonies and blazing acoustic solos around a solitary microphone. Maritri’s anthemic songs provided the anchor for these legendary performances, which brought the musical attendees great satisfaction, but ultimately proved too loud for both the neighborhood and the management of VOYAGE. Undaunted, Maritri and Marcos sustained the One Mic platform, transporting it to numerous addresses in and around NYC Greenwich village, attracting the same high level of professional and amateur performers regardless of venue. Through the 2010s, a regular rotation of performers became a defacto singer-songwriter supergroup, including Corey Glover (of Living Color), V. Jeffrey Smith, Shelley Nicole, Andrae Alexander, Luqmon Brown, Jeff Jeudy, David Pilgrim, Jerome Jordan, Annekei, Ganessa James, Buttafly Soul, Moist Paula, Carla Duren, Jeni Fujita and many others.
Over time the larger cast refined itself to Maritri, V. Jeffrey Smith and David Pilgrim, choosing the name Soulfolk Experience to cover the broad range of styles they covered. They released two compilations - The Soulfolk Experience Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 which prominently featured Maritri’s material, including “Normal”, “No regrets”, “Breathe”, ”Chariot” and “Rain”. Other numerous solo efforts by the members followed, featuring guest appearances from the other Soulfolks, including her own “If Only I Could Breathe” (a duet album with guitarist Nick Cassarino), V. Jeffrey Smith’s “The Long Journey Continues To Continue” and David Pilgrim’s “All Things Being Equal” among others. Countless transcendent live performances followed during this time wth ace drummer Howard Alper and guitar phenom Marcus Machado holding them down in effortless, powerful unison.
We all mourn her unexpected passing, but the beautiful, timeless music remains. We shall never experience the like of those moments with her again, but we shall always have them lovingly engraved in our memory, for her song plays eternally. MARITRI FOREVER.
Releases
