Sharp Finds Sweet Harmony in a Mix of Music and Sport

For 16-year-old Maia Sharp, playing saxophone in a nightclub as part of a six-member jazz-fusion band is anything but “Child’s Play.”

But that’s the name of the band Sharp joined six months ago after mastering the saxophone in only three years.

“I’d been sitting at home rehearsing, rehearsing, rehearsing,” said Sharp, who plays first base for the North Hollywood High softball team. “It just had to go somewhere.”

It has. The band, which includes five men in their mid-30s, recently cut a demo record and is looking for a record label to produce it. In addition, Sharp and the band were such a hit during a recent gig at a Santa Monica nightclub that they were asked to return for a second show in June.

How does a 16-year-old girl gain admittance to a nightclub?

“It’s OK as long as I’m up on stage and not in the audience where they have drinks,” Sharp said. “People in the audience were saying, ‘Wow! She’s only 16!’ I love that.”

Sharp, whose personal tastes lean toward rock ‘n’ roll, describes the band’s all-original material as “fusion with a sort of Latin flavor and rock essence.”

She still finds time for athletics, having played on the school basketball team and eight years of youth-league baseball.

“I’ve always really liked it and I’ve always had the ability,” Sharp said.