While the members of Maza Blaska were wrapping up their debut album, the ambitious Storyteller, they were faced with somewhat of a dilemma. Their recently completed song “White Curtain” was a new band favorite with no home.

“This has been our favorite song for kind of a long time,” explained singer and multi-instrumentalist Sam Corlett. “It was an afterthought. We had already planned out the record and finished recording when that song was finally finished.”

Last month, they went back into the same studio, the Athens music production classroom of Ohio University professor Eddie Ashworth, to lay down tracks for “White Curtain.” The completion of the song marks a turning point for the increasingly restless band.

“It was one of the first songs we wrote all together,” said percussionist Curtis Cole. “This is getting into the groove of working together as a core band.”

Maza Blaska began a few years ago in Jerusalem, where art student Yoni Mizrachi tracked guitar, vocals and oddball percussion onto his laptop between classes. He brought those demos and the spirit of the city back to the states, intending to start a band with his girlfriend Corlett.

“Jerusalem can be an extremely loud and musical city,” Mizrachi said. “The people are vivacious and uninhibited, so I would consistently hear music blaring out of people’s cars and people playing clarinet on the street. I was surrounded by wonderfully musical people from all reaches of the Earth. They introduced me to music that I had never heard, which I was influenced by.”

Band members have shifted and snowballed in the gypsy-collective fashion that Maza Blaska’s multi-textured music suggests. Storyteller involved 15 musicians and nearly 40 engineering students.

“On the album we were really excited to work with as many people as we could,” said Corlett, explaining how the classroom environment worked well for such a large ensemble. “It was totally convenient. We feel more professional, because [the students] are there so they can learn how to work with professionals. We have to be on top of things.”

“This album was the first time I had ever worked in a professional studio with an experienced producer,” said Mizrachi. “I think at first we were all a bit timid because we were still developing the songs, as well as writing during the sessions. We were continuously trying to figure out the best way to capture these songs. The result was that some of the tracks captured the essence of what I had originally envisioned and others took on new forms.”

The help of multiple hands has made Storyteller feel alive and breathing. A world-beat party condensed into a series of three-and-a-half-minute bursts, it rewards with multiple listens and never feels too dense to traverse. As the first song the band has recorded as a six-piece, “White Curtain" glides and sizzles with the same nomadic energy as any of the tracks on its predecessor. The band plans to release the new single for free.

“We all wanted it to fit with and support the album as a single,” said Corlett. “It’s part of the same family as the songs on the album.”

“It’s like a fun experiment in working together,” added Cole. “We’re excited to see what can happen. It’s kind of a bridge to whatever comes next.”

Maza Blaska will perform as part of (614) Magazine’s Live Music Showcase on December 9th at Skully’s Music Diner (1151 N High St.). Doors open at 9 p.m. For more information, visit www.614columbus.com. To download or order Storyteller, visit www.mazablaska.bandcamp.com.