by S. Rotan Hale
Michael Mayo is a young, up and coming jazz vocalist and composer from Los Angeles who is relatively new on the scene but as an international performer, has played alongside some of the best in the music business as Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Terri Lynne Carrington and other notable jazz greats.
Mayo and his trio appeared at Roanoke’s Jefferson Center Wednesday, Sept. 10 for a one-set-only show that left some in the audience wanting more.
Nonetheless the show was by all means a full-bodied performance thanks to his solid vocals and the well-handled treatment from the trio backing him.
Pianist Addison Frei, bassist Kyle Miles and drummer Robin Baytas carried the night adding much depth to each selection the group performed.
Aside from several standards, Mayo mostly performed tunes from his album “Fly” released in 2024. Most of the selections he sang were infused with scat (wordless lyrical improvisation) all in a sort of Bobby McFerrin style. His uplifting onstage presence and interaction with the audience proved his comfort with the jazz club setting – which is not always the case with many performers who can sometimes be stiff and remote.
With soft and lilting tenor tones Mayo opened with “Bag of Bones” one of several originals he performed during the night. He followed with “Just Friends” a popular standard among jazz and pop music vocalists written in 1931 by John Klenner with lyrics by Sam M. Lewis. The song was an opportunity, early in the night for Frei to show his amazing chops at tinkling the ivories.
Mayo continued with two more originals “Silence” and “I wish” – a song about anxiety that he confessed he started composing around the age of 18 and finished writing the song at 31.
Accompanied only by Frei plucking delicately at the keys, Mayo took the night to a new level with the hauntingly beautiful “Stardust” – the timeless classic ballad by Hoagy Carmichael with lyrics by Mitchell Parish. From that point on the audience was in the palm of his hand.
Winding things down the group played two songs “About Your Love” and “You and You” from his first album “Bones” released in 2021.
“About Your Love” was a choppy upbeat number on which Mayo encouraged the audience to follow along and participate with intermittent hand-clapping. It also allowed Baytas to perform his only solo for the night. Mayo closed the set with “You and You” after which the audience gave an enthusiastic ovation, sealing another jazzy night at Jeff Center’s Jazz Club.
