Spring 2024
It has been another busy year so far with with some exciting gigs under our belt and looking at new material for a new CD we will be working on this spring.
Fringe 2023... The Sound of Seventeen!
Looking forward to singing with this excellent band this year at the fringe! Everything from Basie to the Beatles at St George's church , Edinburgh. During the fall I will be off to New Yok for 6 weeks where I am looking forward to working as an artist in residence.
August 2022
News! I have had the pleasure of performing this summer at theLinlithgow Jazz Club with our Best of Billie Holiday show which was an absolute delight. We had Martin Kershaw on Alto Sax, Neil Birse on Piano, Ray Leonard on Bass and Fabrizio Conti on Drums. We had a great time and the audience was wonderful.
This year I have also been singing with the fantastic 'Sound of Seventeen' Big Band which is so exciting. Working on a new set atm ..more to follow!
August 2019 -- Songs from Pedro Almodovar Films
I would say this has been our best fringe show ever!! We sold out which I did not expect as it is quite a niche show. The audience were absolutely amazing and the band were fantastic. Graeme Stephen's guitar playing was exquisite and Alan King's piano was beautiful and understated. Ray Leonard played electric bass for this and the whole set went like a dream. We are looking forward to doing it all again n 18th August but here are some comments from the audience:
'Festival friends, do yourselves a favour and don't miss the chance to see this. As was clear from the audience's response, last night's show was an absolute joy. Don't delay as last night was a sell out. ' Kay Collin
'Excellent show! Congratulations everyone! If you haven't been then the show on the 18th at 8pm is a must-see ' Wendy Carle Taylor
July 2019 -- Fringe Fringe Fringe !
It has been a wonderful year for us with some fabulous gigs and our tour as part of the Aberdeen Jazz Festival was one of the highlights so far.
Looking forward to our fringe show this year 'Songs from Almodovar films'. Film Director Pedro Almodovar is well known for using really good music in his films and I have been a fan for many years, since I fist saw 'Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown' back in the eighties.
The songs in our show are a mix of songs which appear in the films and other songs from a CD which Almodovar released of music which he listened to while writing 'Habla con Ella' (Talk to Her). Some of the songs will be in Spanish and others in English but all with a jazz or latin flavour. These will include Moon River (from 'Bad education'), Se Me Hizo Facil (from 'The Skin I Live in'), Piense en Mi (from High Heels), Once I loved, When Did You leave Heaven and If You go Away from songs which inspired Habla con Ella.
The band this year includes Alan King on Piano, Ray Leonard on Bass, Kevin Dorrian on Drums and Graeme Stephen on guitar and we are delighted to be performing at the wonderful Leith Depot.
The shows will be on Sunday 11th and Sunday 18th at Leith Depot at 8pm.
https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/songs-from-almodovar-films
August 2018
Delighted with this review of our fringe show! Thanks to Tom King for the support !
⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Best of Billie Holiday at Outhouse - The Loft marked an always welcome return to The Edinburgh Fringe by vocalist Mary May and her band - Ray Leonard (bass), Alan King (keyboards) and Kevin Dorrian (drums).
Upstairs at The Outhouse Loft is a good venue for intimate jazz sessions like this show, and on an unusually warm Edinburgh night like this, maybe a bit more like we imagine a “jazz room” to be like.
The musical theme of this show is of course, as the name suggests, the music of the iconic Billie Holiday, and in this hour-long set some classic standards and a few not too often heard songs made the set list for this show. Of course, you really cannot do a Billie Holiday themed show without “God Bless The Child”, “Fine and Mellow” and “Strange Fruit” being in there somewhere, and as always, Mary May gave us an emotional performance of each of them. “Strange Fruit” in particular never fails to disturb me every time I listen to its dark story of race lynchings.
Billie Holiday recorded not only her own songs, but a lot of other people’s songs too, and a good selection of these are in this show too – “That Old Devil Called Love”, and “I Can’t Give you Anything But Love” to name only two more songs performed in classic Mary May style.
Whatever the song though, it is the emotional honesty of the singer that can truly bring them to life, and the songs of Billie Holiday suit Mary May’s vocal range and vocal style of song delivery so well. Also, to truly understand the lyrics of these songs, you need to be of an age that gives you, perhaps, enough of life’s experiences to truly understand their stories of hardships and heartbreaks, and Mary May can make you believe that she has lived through so many of these stories.
March 2018
Just registered for this year's Edinburgh Fringe ! We will be at the Outhouse on 5th and 20th August. Would be great to see some familiar faces! I will post more details later ...
February 2018
Gigs starting to come in for the year ahead - had a wonderful time at the Blue Lamp on 4th February and looking forward to the Aberdeen Jazz Festival in March with a new soulful set.
November 2017
Another busy year with some very memorable gigs. Highlights were our sell out 'Billie is Blue' show at Aden Theatre and the Callander Jazz Festival in September.
Very nice review from Ruth Smith of our show at Aden:
A full house audience greatly appreciated the ensemble which is the Mary May Quintet. Mary's delightfully understated voice beautifully recalls the Billie Holliday sound. With unfaltering melodic rendition of these wonderful wispy sad numbers, Mary and the band communicate not only the sense of longing but the lingering sense of hope. The very able musicians (Colin Black - Guitar, Fabrizio Conti- Drums, Alan King - Piano and Ray Leonard - Bass ) bring a clear synergy to the total performance.
Ruth Smith
Added to that, our CD is still selling well!
October 2016
Great gig down at the Jazz Bar with some new material which went down well - and a lovely review from Southside Advertiser:
Mary May makes a welcome return to The Jazz Bar in Chambers Street after two sell out Fringe 2016 shows (Billie is Blue). This is a new set with a lot of new songs from Mary and the band - Alan King (piano, organ), Ray Leonard (bass), Colin Black (guitar) and Kevin Dorrian (drums) as well as some well loved favourites, and in the perfect setting of The Jazz Bar at is most relaxed and friendliest, a perfect evening just to sit back, relax and listen to music from the classic American Jazz and Blues songbook...with some soul sounds added at times too.
A new set of course means getting to hear Mary and the band expand their repertoire with not only Mary May’s vocals on new material, but Ray Leonard’s skilful arrangements and of course the band’s always impressive musical skills. Nice to hear songs like “Moonglow” and “Solitude” and take trips into the music of the great Duke Ellington with songs like “Satin Doll”, but also just nice to hear once more Mary singing songs from Billie Holiday and other great female singers of the past. Mary’s vocal range just seems to perfectly fit songs like “Fine and Mellow” and “When Sunny Gets Blue” and she has the emotional feeling and vocal phrasing to make you feel like these songs are very personal to her. Favourite from the evening, a great version of the classic “Sunday Kind of Love”.
I often say this when reviewing one of Mary May’s shows, but will say it once more anyhow...these songs were written by writers and performers often drawing on their own personal experiences both good and bad; they are not just words on paper, and need to be brought to life by someone who can give them feeling and emotion as they are put to music, and Mary is a singer who can do that. If you are starting out as a singer, go and watch and listen...a huge vocal range, a powerful voice and impressive vocal tricks do not these songs make...without feeling they are only words.
Review by Tom King
August 2016
Having a great reception with our show 'Billie is Blue' at the Edinburgh fringe and great reviews - see below. It has definitely been our best show yet so a big big thank you for all of the support !!!
Billie is Blue - Review by Jim Brooks Billie Is Blue (7 August) marks the return to the Jazz Bar of Mary May and her Quartet - Colin Black (guitar), Alan King (piano), Ray Leonard (bass), and Kevin Dorian (drums).
This year Mary is celebrating the artistry of Billie Holiday, a personal favourite and an inspiration, with a thoughtfully-planned, ballad-oriented set enlivened by the occasional blues and up-tempo number. To base an hour-long set on ballads is challenging, but Mary's command of her material and ability to hold an audience is now thoroughly assured, so no problems there. Hints of diffidence in her presentation are a thing of the past but, happily, not the sly humour and easy-going chat between numbers.
As soon as the set began, it was obvious that Mary and the quartet were of one musical mind, her seductively bitter-sweet vocals beautifully matched by the band’s sensitive, understated support and lovely solo work, their long association making this an hour of musical magic. I believe this is just the third time that Kevin Dorian has appeared with the band, not that you'd know it from the ease with which he blended in.
Over twelve or so numbers the inspiration never flagged, but my highlights have to include a lovely, yearning “Man I love”, a stripped-down, uncompromising “Strange Fruit” and Sinatra’s bleak, despairing plea to Ava Gardner “I’m a fool to want you”. It’s in exposing numbers like these that Mary is at her finest, rhythm taking second place to tone and vocal colour as each phrase melts into a wisp of vibrato. The other great thing about Mary is that she cares as much for the text as for the music in a way that reminds me not only of Holiday but the late, great and underrated Lee Wiley.
We in the North East are lucky enough to hear Mary relatively frequently, so I tended to think of her annual Jazz Bar appearances as an opportunity to review the past year's progress. Well, it’s not about progress any more; for some time Mary has been where she wants to be and comfortable in her skin. She has never communicated her emotional and, indeed, physical commitment to her material more effectively.
It only remains to say that the sound and balance were exemplary, unfortunately I failed to catch the name of the sound engineer, for which I apologise.
There's a further chance to catch this set at the Jazz Bar on Thursday 25 August at 8.30. To misquote Mr Sinatra, “You’re a fool to miss it”.
Billie is Blue - Review by Tom King
Billie is Blue at The Jazz Bar (Venue 57) is the new Billie Holiday themed show from jazz and blues singer Mary May, and for anyone with a liking for these songs, this is the perfect show as Mary May’s voice is effortlessly at its best on the vocal range of these songs.
In a 50 minute set, you obviously have to be very selective in what songs you choose to perform from the career of a singer like Billie Holiday, but there are still a few surprises here. Of course, a few standards cannot be missed out in a set like this and “God Bless The Child” and the still very disturbing “Strange Fruit” with its lyrics evoking those terrible scenes of Southern race lynchings are there.
Billie Holiday songs are all about emotion, phrasing and delivery, and Mary May has a voice that can do all of these things so well. There is sadly, a current reality television show style of singing around that seems to require singers to sing as loudly as possible regardless of the lyrical content of the song. Singers in this style could do with going along and watching Mary May perform a set like this to learn that that volume is not always required and how to sing a song like you have lived it.
Mary was with a great quintet tonight – Colin Black (Guitar), Kevin Dorrian (Drums), Alan King (Piano) and Ray Leonard (Acoustic Bass and musical arranger), and they managed to capture the feeling of these songs perfectly.
This show was simply a great set from Mary May and the band, and the audience at a packed Jazz Bar (standing room only left) obviously enjoyed every song here.
Billie Holiday songs are so difficult to sing properly and I think part of the reason for that is that you have to like Mary May be of a certain age (hope you don’t mind that one Mary) to have lived enough to really understand the emotions behind the lyrics. They are not songs that young singers with little life experience can do properly…yes they can get the notes right, but that feeling of “been there, felt that” is so often missing at that age.
I’ve been a bit brief in the song reviews for this show because Mary May is performing this show again at The Jazz Bar on Thursday 25th August, and I don’t want to give her set list away to anyone who may be going along to this show for the first time. I just wish that I had time in this year’s review schedule to catch this second show too.
Review by Tom King
June 2016
It's been a busy year and we have have been very lucky to have had some great gigs with fabulous audiences. The sun was shining like crazy at the Pitmedden Music Festival and the crowd had a ball. We had a great time on the main stage and the sound was really suberb, due to Mr Colin Harris. Our CD sales are going well too and we are continuing to get a lot of radio play. Looking forward now to getting our show 'Billie is Blue' ready for this year's Edinburgh Fringe on 7th and 25th August.
January 2016
Starting to get gigs together for this year - see 'Gigs' page for details. Also looking forward to getting a live performance professionally video recorded for the first time which may be a little scary ! Not our idea, but will bravely give it a go. This year I am really looking forward to our third year at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. This year we will be doing two shows, again at the award-winning Jazz Bar.
December 2015
Busy month getting some long overdue promotional photos taken (it's a hard life!) and also starting to think about some new songs for a new recording which I hope to make in the New Year.... we also got a very nice review from Showtime Edinburgh of our CD launch gig at the Jazz Bar which I have posted below. We were given a lovely gift by Tom and Lisa at the launch of a couple of issues of 'Downbeat Magazine' from the late 1940's. Fascinating to hold in your hands and be transported back to that great era. Also, as Tom pointed out, quite shocking to note how few black musicians were featured in the magazine.
Wonderful ***** review of our CD - see below
Edinburgh Fringe !!! Another success - (phew!)
Really pleased with our 4-star review for our CD from 'All About Jazz' !
Lovely CD review from Showtime Edinburgh (see below)
It's another exciting year for us with the launch of our new CD 'This is What You Are' . We had a lovely time at the Blue Lamp Jazz Club in April with the full horn section from the album line-up, and a Quintet gig featuring the wonderful Craig Dawson at the beautiful HMS Frigate Unicorn, which was our first time in Dundee. We had a ball at the Moray Jazz Club in Elgin ,Fife Jazz Club and a great time at Whighams Jazz Club and again at Pitmedden Music Fest and Cheers (home turf). We had a lovely review in the Northern Scot which I have posted below and a fabulous review from this years fringe show from Tom king. Many thanks to all of you for the continuing support and especially for making our fringe debut such a success last summer with our sell-out show . This year again was a resounding success and we had a packed house even though it was the very last day of the fringe - so many many thanks for coming along to cheer us on. We had a great time at the Garioch Jazz Festival and then we had the official launch for our CD, with the wonderful Freddie King as our guest at the Jazz Bar, Edinburgh which was a great success! We also had many great reviews this year which was very humbling and encouraging.
MARY MAY THIS IS WHAT YOU ARE CD LAUNCH THE JAZZ BAR EDINBURCH SUNDAY 1st NOVEMBER 2015 Review
Although Scottish jazz singer Mary May’s debut CD “This is What You Are” has been out for a few months, tonight at The Jazz Bar was its official launch, and to celebrate the event, Mary had augmented her usual band consisting of Colin Black (guitar), Alan King (keys), Ray Leonard (bass), and Jim Gardiner (drums) with a horn section made up of Eddie McGovern (trombone), Craig Dawson (sax), and Alan Haggart (trumpet).
Although an extended band this size did push the small performance space at the Jazz Bar to its limits, it certainly added to the sound for this show as this was pretty close to the sound on the CD as all these musicians play on it.
This show was a mixture of songs from “This is What You Are” and some standard classics mixed throughout the evening (I hope Mary does a CD of some of these classics soon too)
Our opening number was the title track of the CD “This is What You Are”. Other tracks played over our evening included “Black Nile (by Wayne Shorter), Meet Me, Midnight (by Barry Manilow) and “Where Were You (When I Needed You) by Stevie Wonder. If some of these songs don’t sound to you like standard Jazz fare then you are right, and that is the strength of this album. Mary may has not taken the easy route for her debut CD and put together a collection of standard covers, but along with arranger Ray Leonard has re-interpreted music from outside the normal Jazz catalogue and given them a new sound and feel. “Meet Me, Midnight” actually has a jazz/soul fusion mix to it and that was more than emphasised tonight by the soulful sound of Alan King on keys. Jazz needs people like Mary May who are prepared to step outside the standard songbook list and fuse new sounds into it.
Standards for the evening included “You’d Be So Nice To Come Home To”, “Fly me To The Moon” and “That Old Black Magic”. Out of all the standards in this show though my favourite for the evening was a wonderful version of that Julie London classic “Cry Me A River”. So many times I have heard singers covering this song and destroying it by thinking that powerful vocals are what this song is about, and to me they have missed the whole point of it. This is a song full of sad emotions (just listen to the lyrics) and Mary covered this one pretty much in straight Julie London style. It makes a welcome change to find a singer who understands that this song is about the words and emotion and that “shouting out vocals” are not required on this wonderful song.
I liked tonight’s show a lot and listening to Mary perform songs in her own unique style is always a pleasure.
Also on the show tonight for a few numbers was Jazz singer Freddie King who has shall we say a unique style of his own. Freddie has a wonderful toned deep baritone voice that I really liked on a pretty straight version of “Detour Ahead”. The other two songs were in a “scat” style and I have to admit to not being a big fan of this, but that is personal. Judging by some of the applause though, others in the room were “scat” fans. There was something about Freddie’s style though that just reminded me of the sound of Louis Prima at times.
I reviewed Marys CD back in September just after her last show at The Jazz Bar at the closing of the Edinburgh Fringe. That review is still online at http://www.southsideadvertiser.biz/marymaycdreview.htm
Review by Tom King
Jim Brooks CD Review 'This is What You Are'
* * * * *
Baby's Awake Now
Over the past few years, Mary May has built up a sizable, loyal following on the Scottish jazz scene, and “This is What You Are” shows exactly why. Some ten years ago she released “Dear Ruby”, a subtle, sensitive two-hander with Paul Harrison on piano, an uncommonly assured first album which marked her out as a talent to watch. We’ve had a long wait for a follow-up, but it has been well worthwhile.
Capturing the essence of a singer as individual as Mary May in words is a risky business. If forced, I’d say the timbre is 60/40 Peggy Lee/Billie Holiday, the vocalising an intriguing blend of instinct and intelligence. Over the years I have come to believe that whether we’re talking jazz or not, the text is just as important as the music, especially in ballads. It’s a constant delight to hear how Mary contrives to achieve that balance without losing the jazz feel, no matter what sort of number, and “This is what you are” is an ambitiously wide-ranging CD, running the gamut from Barry Manilow’s catchy “Meet me, midnight” arranged for the full band to “Everything must change” by Bernard Ighner, featuring exquisite guitar playing from Colin Black. Throughout there’s an emotional depth and honesty to Mary’s singing, but her sly sense of humour is never far away, keeping the listener on his toes.
The arrangements (apart from Mary’s for “The way you look tonight”) are by bassist Ray Leonard and are much more than a showcase for Mary’s vocals, fitting the numbers like a glove and providing lots of opportunities for the band to shine. They have worked together for some time, which shows in playing that is precise yet deceptively relaxed. The sound is excellent, with plenty of body and plenty of space around the voice, but no lack of detail.
There's a neat but neglected Rodgers and Hart song that begins "Baby's awake now, baby can do things...." Full of snappy optimism, it's just how I feel about this album and the place Mary's in right now. It passes the ultimate test; the more you listen, the more you find in it and the better you like “This Is What You Are”.
This is What You Are CD - Jacky Niewiadomsky, Radio Sky Music Jazz
'Your Album is excellent. You have a lot of talent and those are brilliant musicians'
Mary May - Lady Jazz (Edinburgh Fringe) 30 August, Jazz Bar
Review by Tom King
This session at The Jazz Bar was Mary May’s second year visit to The Edinburgh Fringe, and I was lucky enough to catch last year’s sessions at The Jazz Bar too, so I had some idea of the high quality of Jazz singer that I was going to see.
Whereas last year’s session was built around the songs of Billie Holiday, this year’s “Lady Jazz” session was a mixture of standards, some newer songs, and songs you might not expect to hear from a jazz singer...many of course to some original arrangements (as last year’s set was).
Mary May was with the Mary May Quintet tonight – Colin Black (Guitar), Jim Gardiner (Drums), Alan King (Piano) and Ray Leonard (acoustic Bass and musical arranger).
There was an eclectic mixture of songs in this show and it all worked to produce a performance that seemed to go by far too quickly. There were standards including “You Go To My Head”, “The Way You Look Tonight” and “I Got Plenty O Nuttin’” from Porgy and Bess, a version of “Sweet is The Air” by Alice Russel and some pop standards given a Jazz arrangement.
I have to admit that it is these new arrangements of more contemporary artists’ work that I liked best tonight as they were new to me in this form. These include “Roxanne” – The Police and “A Hard Day’s Night” - The Beatles. The “Superwoman/Where Were You When I Needed You” arrangement of Stevie Wonder’s song from his 1972 “Music In My Mind” album was amazing too. This was a two part song on the album and it was the second part of the full song that was used...look at the lyrics for the first part on Google – perfect for a lady called Mary.
I have heard “Roxanne” being reworked a few times, but the Jazz arrangement of “A Hard Day’s Night” was new to me and I liked this one a lot. To me, the often enduring appeal of a Beatles song is that it can often be deconstructed musically (well the earlier songs anyhow) and re-arranged in infinite variations, and jazz musicians seem to love doing that with songs at many levels. I would love to hear a full session of these reworked modern songs and maybe even a CD of them one day.
There was also a tinge of sadness in the show as Mary dedicated “Ole Black Magic” to her former drummer and friend Grant Robertson who had sadly passed away. A Frank Sinatra tribute to a big Frank Sinatra fan.
This was just one of those nice enjoyable musical evenings that you get from time to time with a very talented singer (and band) who has a very warm relationship with her audience.
Mary May and her Quintet PLUS horn sections are back at The Jazz Bar on Sunday November 1st from 9.15 to 11.45 for the launch of her debut CD “This is What You Are”. Try to be there if you can as I am sure it will be a great evening out.
CD Review 'This is What you Are' - Mary May
from Showtime Edinburgh
“This Is What You Are” is the debut CD from Scottish singer Mary May. Both Mary and the musicians on this album including Colin Black (Guitar), Jim Gardiner (Drums), Alan King (Piano) and Ray Leonard (Acoustic Bass and musical arranger) are probably well known to many live music audiences as Jazz performers.
Do not let that word Jazz put you off of this CD as, although there are Jazz elements on it, this is just a classic slice of what used to be called “Easy Listening” and the music here covers a wide variety of songs and music in a wide variety of styles and periods. To make it even more interesting Mary May has not gone for the easy route of interpreting the 12 songs on this CD as straight covers, but instead as new arrangements.
Much of the music here has a very laid-back retro feel to it. Some tracks such as “Kisses in the Rain” and “Sunday Kind of Love” have that classic sound and feel of Julie London about them, and Mary May does a great job of bringing back that sound, style and feel with her vocals on these tracks.
Others tracks at times have a real 60s sound to them, particularly that keyboard sound on “Meet Me, Midnight” which at times sounds similar to that classic Stax records sound.
There are classic jazz sounds here, upbeat tempos, and slower numbers...a great version of Stevie Wonder’s “Where Were You (When I Needed You)” and classics such as “The Way You Looked Tonight”.
This is the sort of music that you can just put on, sit back, listen and relax to. There is something on this album to suit many different musical tastes.
You can buy this album direct from
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/marymay3
You can of course buy individual download tracks, but this CD really needs to be heard as a full CD...and at CD audio quality.
Mary May Quintet at Whighams Jazz Club 7th June
A HUGE thanks to Mary May and her quartet for their performance at Whighams last night. Real 'top drawer' stuff in front of a very appreciative crowd. Some wonderful arrangements of great tunes. Go catch Mary whenever you can, she has an abundance of talent and a very tightly knit quartet backing her, further enhances the terrific sound. (Kevin Dorrian)
Mary May Quintet at the Moray Jazz Club (Northern Scot)
Eclectic Mix from Aberdeen Line up - Thursday 7th May 2015
The Moray Jazz Club at the Elgin City Football Club was the place to be on Thursday 7th May. Aberdeen based singer Mary May was there with her band to promote their CD ‘This is What You Are’ and the club was pretty much packed for the gig. The set was an eclectic mix, featuring songs from Stevie Wonder and Barry Manilow alongside well known jazz standards. Ellington’s ‘Satin Doll’ and Squeeze Me’ were given fresh arrangements and ‘Love for Sale’ and ‘Moondance’ were delivered in a laid back groove that both audience and the band were clearly enjoying. There was a lot of interplay between the musicians and the set was very tight despite the element of risk. Keyboard player Alan King skilfully alternated between vibes, organ and piano with ease, bringing an irresistible and swinging delivery to ‘On a Clear Day’ and ‘Meet Me Midnight’. Jim Gardiner on drums brought the whole band together with impeccable timing and dynamic playing which was in evidence on ‘The Late Late Show’ and the uplifting arrangement of Stevie Wonder’s ‘Where were You’. Guitarist Colin Black excelled in his compelling blues-playing on the Billie Holiday classic ‘Fine and Mellow’, the only blues of the evening. Ray Leonard on acoustic bass kept a no-nonsense approach throughout the set, supplying the backbone to the rhythm section, yet displaying a beauty and sensitivity on the hauntingly beautiful arrangement of ‘The Way You Look Tonight’. Mary May has a wonderful sense of phrasing and is clearly immersed in Jazz. Her dark and fragile voice has a tone which is perfect for jazz, and she has the ability to draw the audience in to the drama of the lyric, which she did to great effect on the ballads ‘Sunday Kind of Love’ and ‘God Bless the Child’ .
It is rare to hear a singer interact with the band on equal terms and I went home happy, clutching a copy of the CD. Glancing at the back of the CD, I noticed the logo ‘Jazz2the Bone’. If the gig was anything to go by, it does exactly what it says on the tin.
* * * * CD Review - This is What You Are -
Chris Mosey (All About Jazz)
When Mary May heard Sarah Vaughan sing "If I Loved You" it blew her away. "She sang in a way I had never heard anyone sing before." Then came Anita O'Day, Nancy Wilson and Marion Montgomery.
But Scots being—famously—careful people, it took a long time before May would opt for a career as a jazz singer, scarcely the most steady of occupations. She continued with her studies of abstract art at Leeds Polytechnic and it wasn't until she attracted the attention of legendary American jazz vocalist Mark Murphy, who lives mostly in the UK, that she finally took the plunge.
Scots being—famously—serious, hard working people, May struggled tirelessly to establish herself, playing all the gigs she could get, including the Edinburgh Fringe, largest arts festival in the world.
Her vocal abilities—in particular her delicate phrasing and fine sense of timing—allowed her to attract a really solid accompanying band. They are with her on this, her first album.Songs range from Wayne Shorter's "Black Nile" to Italian soul singer Mario Biondi's "This Is What You Are," with all stops in between.
"The Way You Look Tonight" begins and ends with what sounds like waves breaking on the shore. When asked about this, Scots being—famously—taciturn people, May responded, "Yes, it is waves."There are some nice breaks by pianist Alan King and Colin Black on guitar and solid work throughout by bassist Ray Leonard, who wrote all but one of the arrangements.
t the end of the day, one can only wish the lady well. To use the vernacular: Mary, lang may yer lum reek.
MARY MAY SINGS BILLIE HOLIDAY (Southside Advertiser)
The Jazz Bar, Friday 15th August, 7pm
There was a long queue outside The Jazz Bar tonight, and when I finally got inside, it was pretty much standing room only left.
Aberdeen-based jazz singer Mary May, accompanied by a four piece band of drums, bass guitar, guitar and keyboards, performed a faultless one-hour set of Billie Holiday songs (some written by Billie Holiday herself). The tone of her singing was perfect for numbers such as Don't Explain, Lover Man, and God Bless the Child. As Mary explained during the set, some of these songs had been given a slightly more up to date arrangement and were being performed and sung "not exactly as Billie Holiday would have sung them, but as she might have performed them now", and this worked very well. For some, the omission of Strange Fruit as a song choice tonight may have disappointed, but not for me as the songs chosen for this set had obviously been very carefully selected to work well within the confines of a short set performed in a Jazz Bar setting.. Mary seems to have a lot of loyal fans, and many it seems had travelled tonight as the Jazz Bar was packed out for this performance.
Mary May sings Billie Holiday - Jim Brooks
In a long-overdue Fringe debut, Mary May won over the discerning Jazz Bar audience with a thoughtfully-constructed set invoking the spirit of Billie Holiday. Without gimmicks and with a minimum of fuss, she held the interest of the audience throughout, singing with a fascinating mixture of understatement and intensity spiced with humour. This worked well with Holiday’s material, however, with her darker, slightly lower-centred voice Mary made each song very much her own. There are bigger voices around, but there’s an authority in this singer’s work that commands attention, draws in an audience, and makes for deeply rewarding listening. For this gig, Mary was fortunate to have superb support from her quartet, which I believe is Aberdeen-based. An hour well-spent and over all too soon. Mary May - a name to watch.
Mary May Quintet - Aden Theatre
A full house audience greatly appreciated the ensemble which is the Mary May Quintet. Mary's delightfully understated voice beautifully recalls the Billie Holliday sound. With unfaltering melodic rendition of these wonderful wispy sad numbers, Mary and the band communicate not only the sense of longing but the lingering sense of hope. The very able musicians (Colin Black - Guitar, Fabrizio Conti- Drums, Alan King - Piano and Ray Leonard - Bass ) bring a clear synergy to the total performance.
Ruth Smith
It has been another busy year so far with with some exciting gigs under our belt and looking at new material for a new CD we will be working on this spring.
Fringe 2023... The Sound of Seventeen!
Looking forward to singing with this excellent band this year at the fringe! Everything from Basie to the Beatles at St George's church , Edinburgh. During the fall I will be off to New Yok for 6 weeks where I am looking forward to working as an artist in residence.
August 2022
News! I have had the pleasure of performing this summer at theLinlithgow Jazz Club with our Best of Billie Holiday show which was an absolute delight. We had Martin Kershaw on Alto Sax, Neil Birse on Piano, Ray Leonard on Bass and Fabrizio Conti on Drums. We had a great time and the audience was wonderful.
This year I have also been singing with the fantastic 'Sound of Seventeen' Big Band which is so exciting. Working on a new set atm ..more to follow!
August 2019 -- Songs from Pedro Almodovar Films
I would say this has been our best fringe show ever!! We sold out which I did not expect as it is quite a niche show. The audience were absolutely amazing and the band were fantastic. Graeme Stephen's guitar playing was exquisite and Alan King's piano was beautiful and understated. Ray Leonard played electric bass for this and the whole set went like a dream. We are looking forward to doing it all again n 18th August but here are some comments from the audience:
'Festival friends, do yourselves a favour and don't miss the chance to see this. As was clear from the audience's response, last night's show was an absolute joy. Don't delay as last night was a sell out. ' Kay Collin
'Excellent show! Congratulations everyone! If you haven't been then the show on the 18th at 8pm is a must-see ' Wendy Carle Taylor
July 2019 -- Fringe Fringe Fringe !
It has been a wonderful year for us with some fabulous gigs and our tour as part of the Aberdeen Jazz Festival was one of the highlights so far.
Looking forward to our fringe show this year 'Songs from Almodovar films'. Film Director Pedro Almodovar is well known for using really good music in his films and I have been a fan for many years, since I fist saw 'Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown' back in the eighties.
The songs in our show are a mix of songs which appear in the films and other songs from a CD which Almodovar released of music which he listened to while writing 'Habla con Ella' (Talk to Her). Some of the songs will be in Spanish and others in English but all with a jazz or latin flavour. These will include Moon River (from 'Bad education'), Se Me Hizo Facil (from 'The Skin I Live in'), Piense en Mi (from High Heels), Once I loved, When Did You leave Heaven and If You go Away from songs which inspired Habla con Ella.
The band this year includes Alan King on Piano, Ray Leonard on Bass, Kevin Dorrian on Drums and Graeme Stephen on guitar and we are delighted to be performing at the wonderful Leith Depot.
The shows will be on Sunday 11th and Sunday 18th at Leith Depot at 8pm.
https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/songs-from-almodovar-films
August 2018
Delighted with this review of our fringe show! Thanks to Tom King for the support !
⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Best of Billie Holiday at Outhouse - The Loft marked an always welcome return to The Edinburgh Fringe by vocalist Mary May and her band - Ray Leonard (bass), Alan King (keyboards) and Kevin Dorrian (drums).
Upstairs at The Outhouse Loft is a good venue for intimate jazz sessions like this show, and on an unusually warm Edinburgh night like this, maybe a bit more like we imagine a “jazz room” to be like.
The musical theme of this show is of course, as the name suggests, the music of the iconic Billie Holiday, and in this hour-long set some classic standards and a few not too often heard songs made the set list for this show. Of course, you really cannot do a Billie Holiday themed show without “God Bless The Child”, “Fine and Mellow” and “Strange Fruit” being in there somewhere, and as always, Mary May gave us an emotional performance of each of them. “Strange Fruit” in particular never fails to disturb me every time I listen to its dark story of race lynchings.
Billie Holiday recorded not only her own songs, but a lot of other people’s songs too, and a good selection of these are in this show too – “That Old Devil Called Love”, and “I Can’t Give you Anything But Love” to name only two more songs performed in classic Mary May style.
Whatever the song though, it is the emotional honesty of the singer that can truly bring them to life, and the songs of Billie Holiday suit Mary May’s vocal range and vocal style of song delivery so well. Also, to truly understand the lyrics of these songs, you need to be of an age that gives you, perhaps, enough of life’s experiences to truly understand their stories of hardships and heartbreaks, and Mary May can make you believe that she has lived through so many of these stories.
March 2018
Just registered for this year's Edinburgh Fringe ! We will be at the Outhouse on 5th and 20th August. Would be great to see some familiar faces! I will post more details later ...
February 2018
Gigs starting to come in for the year ahead - had a wonderful time at the Blue Lamp on 4th February and looking forward to the Aberdeen Jazz Festival in March with a new soulful set.
November 2017
Another busy year with some very memorable gigs. Highlights were our sell out 'Billie is Blue' show at Aden Theatre and the Callander Jazz Festival in September.
Very nice review from Ruth Smith of our show at Aden:
A full house audience greatly appreciated the ensemble which is the Mary May Quintet. Mary's delightfully understated voice beautifully recalls the Billie Holliday sound. With unfaltering melodic rendition of these wonderful wispy sad numbers, Mary and the band communicate not only the sense of longing but the lingering sense of hope. The very able musicians (Colin Black - Guitar, Fabrizio Conti- Drums, Alan King - Piano and Ray Leonard - Bass ) bring a clear synergy to the total performance.
Ruth Smith
Added to that, our CD is still selling well!
October 2016
Great gig down at the Jazz Bar with some new material which went down well - and a lovely review from Southside Advertiser:
Mary May makes a welcome return to The Jazz Bar in Chambers Street after two sell out Fringe 2016 shows (Billie is Blue). This is a new set with a lot of new songs from Mary and the band - Alan King (piano, organ), Ray Leonard (bass), Colin Black (guitar) and Kevin Dorrian (drums) as well as some well loved favourites, and in the perfect setting of The Jazz Bar at is most relaxed and friendliest, a perfect evening just to sit back, relax and listen to music from the classic American Jazz and Blues songbook...with some soul sounds added at times too.
A new set of course means getting to hear Mary and the band expand their repertoire with not only Mary May’s vocals on new material, but Ray Leonard’s skilful arrangements and of course the band’s always impressive musical skills. Nice to hear songs like “Moonglow” and “Solitude” and take trips into the music of the great Duke Ellington with songs like “Satin Doll”, but also just nice to hear once more Mary singing songs from Billie Holiday and other great female singers of the past. Mary’s vocal range just seems to perfectly fit songs like “Fine and Mellow” and “When Sunny Gets Blue” and she has the emotional feeling and vocal phrasing to make you feel like these songs are very personal to her. Favourite from the evening, a great version of the classic “Sunday Kind of Love”.
I often say this when reviewing one of Mary May’s shows, but will say it once more anyhow...these songs were written by writers and performers often drawing on their own personal experiences both good and bad; they are not just words on paper, and need to be brought to life by someone who can give them feeling and emotion as they are put to music, and Mary is a singer who can do that. If you are starting out as a singer, go and watch and listen...a huge vocal range, a powerful voice and impressive vocal tricks do not these songs make...without feeling they are only words.
Review by Tom King
August 2016
Having a great reception with our show 'Billie is Blue' at the Edinburgh fringe and great reviews - see below. It has definitely been our best show yet so a big big thank you for all of the support !!!
Billie is Blue - Review by Jim Brooks Billie Is Blue (7 August) marks the return to the Jazz Bar of Mary May and her Quartet - Colin Black (guitar), Alan King (piano), Ray Leonard (bass), and Kevin Dorian (drums).
This year Mary is celebrating the artistry of Billie Holiday, a personal favourite and an inspiration, with a thoughtfully-planned, ballad-oriented set enlivened by the occasional blues and up-tempo number. To base an hour-long set on ballads is challenging, but Mary's command of her material and ability to hold an audience is now thoroughly assured, so no problems there. Hints of diffidence in her presentation are a thing of the past but, happily, not the sly humour and easy-going chat between numbers.
As soon as the set began, it was obvious that Mary and the quartet were of one musical mind, her seductively bitter-sweet vocals beautifully matched by the band’s sensitive, understated support and lovely solo work, their long association making this an hour of musical magic. I believe this is just the third time that Kevin Dorian has appeared with the band, not that you'd know it from the ease with which he blended in.
Over twelve or so numbers the inspiration never flagged, but my highlights have to include a lovely, yearning “Man I love”, a stripped-down, uncompromising “Strange Fruit” and Sinatra’s bleak, despairing plea to Ava Gardner “I’m a fool to want you”. It’s in exposing numbers like these that Mary is at her finest, rhythm taking second place to tone and vocal colour as each phrase melts into a wisp of vibrato. The other great thing about Mary is that she cares as much for the text as for the music in a way that reminds me not only of Holiday but the late, great and underrated Lee Wiley.
We in the North East are lucky enough to hear Mary relatively frequently, so I tended to think of her annual Jazz Bar appearances as an opportunity to review the past year's progress. Well, it’s not about progress any more; for some time Mary has been where she wants to be and comfortable in her skin. She has never communicated her emotional and, indeed, physical commitment to her material more effectively.
It only remains to say that the sound and balance were exemplary, unfortunately I failed to catch the name of the sound engineer, for which I apologise.
There's a further chance to catch this set at the Jazz Bar on Thursday 25 August at 8.30. To misquote Mr Sinatra, “You’re a fool to miss it”.
Billie is Blue - Review by Tom King
Billie is Blue at The Jazz Bar (Venue 57) is the new Billie Holiday themed show from jazz and blues singer Mary May, and for anyone with a liking for these songs, this is the perfect show as Mary May’s voice is effortlessly at its best on the vocal range of these songs.
In a 50 minute set, you obviously have to be very selective in what songs you choose to perform from the career of a singer like Billie Holiday, but there are still a few surprises here. Of course, a few standards cannot be missed out in a set like this and “God Bless The Child” and the still very disturbing “Strange Fruit” with its lyrics evoking those terrible scenes of Southern race lynchings are there.
Billie Holiday songs are all about emotion, phrasing and delivery, and Mary May has a voice that can do all of these things so well. There is sadly, a current reality television show style of singing around that seems to require singers to sing as loudly as possible regardless of the lyrical content of the song. Singers in this style could do with going along and watching Mary May perform a set like this to learn that that volume is not always required and how to sing a song like you have lived it.
Mary was with a great quintet tonight – Colin Black (Guitar), Kevin Dorrian (Drums), Alan King (Piano) and Ray Leonard (Acoustic Bass and musical arranger), and they managed to capture the feeling of these songs perfectly.
This show was simply a great set from Mary May and the band, and the audience at a packed Jazz Bar (standing room only left) obviously enjoyed every song here.
Billie Holiday songs are so difficult to sing properly and I think part of the reason for that is that you have to like Mary May be of a certain age (hope you don’t mind that one Mary) to have lived enough to really understand the emotions behind the lyrics. They are not songs that young singers with little life experience can do properly…yes they can get the notes right, but that feeling of “been there, felt that” is so often missing at that age.
I’ve been a bit brief in the song reviews for this show because Mary May is performing this show again at The Jazz Bar on Thursday 25th August, and I don’t want to give her set list away to anyone who may be going along to this show for the first time. I just wish that I had time in this year’s review schedule to catch this second show too.
Review by Tom King
June 2016
It's been a busy year and we have have been very lucky to have had some great gigs with fabulous audiences. The sun was shining like crazy at the Pitmedden Music Festival and the crowd had a ball. We had a great time on the main stage and the sound was really suberb, due to Mr Colin Harris. Our CD sales are going well too and we are continuing to get a lot of radio play. Looking forward now to getting our show 'Billie is Blue' ready for this year's Edinburgh Fringe on 7th and 25th August.
January 2016
Starting to get gigs together for this year - see 'Gigs' page for details. Also looking forward to getting a live performance professionally video recorded for the first time which may be a little scary ! Not our idea, but will bravely give it a go. This year I am really looking forward to our third year at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. This year we will be doing two shows, again at the award-winning Jazz Bar.
December 2015
Busy month getting some long overdue promotional photos taken (it's a hard life!) and also starting to think about some new songs for a new recording which I hope to make in the New Year.... we also got a very nice review from Showtime Edinburgh of our CD launch gig at the Jazz Bar which I have posted below. We were given a lovely gift by Tom and Lisa at the launch of a couple of issues of 'Downbeat Magazine' from the late 1940's. Fascinating to hold in your hands and be transported back to that great era. Also, as Tom pointed out, quite shocking to note how few black musicians were featured in the magazine.
Wonderful ***** review of our CD - see below
Edinburgh Fringe !!! Another success - (phew!)
Really pleased with our 4-star review for our CD from 'All About Jazz' !
Lovely CD review from Showtime Edinburgh (see below)
It's another exciting year for us with the launch of our new CD 'This is What You Are' . We had a lovely time at the Blue Lamp Jazz Club in April with the full horn section from the album line-up, and a Quintet gig featuring the wonderful Craig Dawson at the beautiful HMS Frigate Unicorn, which was our first time in Dundee. We had a ball at the Moray Jazz Club in Elgin ,Fife Jazz Club and a great time at Whighams Jazz Club and again at Pitmedden Music Fest and Cheers (home turf). We had a lovely review in the Northern Scot which I have posted below and a fabulous review from this years fringe show from Tom king. Many thanks to all of you for the continuing support and especially for making our fringe debut such a success last summer with our sell-out show . This year again was a resounding success and we had a packed house even though it was the very last day of the fringe - so many many thanks for coming along to cheer us on. We had a great time at the Garioch Jazz Festival and then we had the official launch for our CD, with the wonderful Freddie King as our guest at the Jazz Bar, Edinburgh which was a great success! We also had many great reviews this year which was very humbling and encouraging.
MARY MAY THIS IS WHAT YOU ARE CD LAUNCH THE JAZZ BAR EDINBURCH SUNDAY 1st NOVEMBER 2015 Review
Although Scottish jazz singer Mary May’s debut CD “This is What You Are” has been out for a few months, tonight at The Jazz Bar was its official launch, and to celebrate the event, Mary had augmented her usual band consisting of Colin Black (guitar), Alan King (keys), Ray Leonard (bass), and Jim Gardiner (drums) with a horn section made up of Eddie McGovern (trombone), Craig Dawson (sax), and Alan Haggart (trumpet).
Although an extended band this size did push the small performance space at the Jazz Bar to its limits, it certainly added to the sound for this show as this was pretty close to the sound on the CD as all these musicians play on it.
This show was a mixture of songs from “This is What You Are” and some standard classics mixed throughout the evening (I hope Mary does a CD of some of these classics soon too)
Our opening number was the title track of the CD “This is What You Are”. Other tracks played over our evening included “Black Nile (by Wayne Shorter), Meet Me, Midnight (by Barry Manilow) and “Where Were You (When I Needed You) by Stevie Wonder. If some of these songs don’t sound to you like standard Jazz fare then you are right, and that is the strength of this album. Mary may has not taken the easy route for her debut CD and put together a collection of standard covers, but along with arranger Ray Leonard has re-interpreted music from outside the normal Jazz catalogue and given them a new sound and feel. “Meet Me, Midnight” actually has a jazz/soul fusion mix to it and that was more than emphasised tonight by the soulful sound of Alan King on keys. Jazz needs people like Mary May who are prepared to step outside the standard songbook list and fuse new sounds into it.
Standards for the evening included “You’d Be So Nice To Come Home To”, “Fly me To The Moon” and “That Old Black Magic”. Out of all the standards in this show though my favourite for the evening was a wonderful version of that Julie London classic “Cry Me A River”. So many times I have heard singers covering this song and destroying it by thinking that powerful vocals are what this song is about, and to me they have missed the whole point of it. This is a song full of sad emotions (just listen to the lyrics) and Mary covered this one pretty much in straight Julie London style. It makes a welcome change to find a singer who understands that this song is about the words and emotion and that “shouting out vocals” are not required on this wonderful song.
I liked tonight’s show a lot and listening to Mary perform songs in her own unique style is always a pleasure.
Also on the show tonight for a few numbers was Jazz singer Freddie King who has shall we say a unique style of his own. Freddie has a wonderful toned deep baritone voice that I really liked on a pretty straight version of “Detour Ahead”. The other two songs were in a “scat” style and I have to admit to not being a big fan of this, but that is personal. Judging by some of the applause though, others in the room were “scat” fans. There was something about Freddie’s style though that just reminded me of the sound of Louis Prima at times.
I reviewed Marys CD back in September just after her last show at The Jazz Bar at the closing of the Edinburgh Fringe. That review is still online at http://www.southsideadvertiser.biz/marymaycdreview.htm
Review by Tom King
Jim Brooks CD Review 'This is What You Are'
* * * * *
Baby's Awake Now
Over the past few years, Mary May has built up a sizable, loyal following on the Scottish jazz scene, and “This is What You Are” shows exactly why. Some ten years ago she released “Dear Ruby”, a subtle, sensitive two-hander with Paul Harrison on piano, an uncommonly assured first album which marked her out as a talent to watch. We’ve had a long wait for a follow-up, but it has been well worthwhile.
Capturing the essence of a singer as individual as Mary May in words is a risky business. If forced, I’d say the timbre is 60/40 Peggy Lee/Billie Holiday, the vocalising an intriguing blend of instinct and intelligence. Over the years I have come to believe that whether we’re talking jazz or not, the text is just as important as the music, especially in ballads. It’s a constant delight to hear how Mary contrives to achieve that balance without losing the jazz feel, no matter what sort of number, and “This is what you are” is an ambitiously wide-ranging CD, running the gamut from Barry Manilow’s catchy “Meet me, midnight” arranged for the full band to “Everything must change” by Bernard Ighner, featuring exquisite guitar playing from Colin Black. Throughout there’s an emotional depth and honesty to Mary’s singing, but her sly sense of humour is never far away, keeping the listener on his toes.
The arrangements (apart from Mary’s for “The way you look tonight”) are by bassist Ray Leonard and are much more than a showcase for Mary’s vocals, fitting the numbers like a glove and providing lots of opportunities for the band to shine. They have worked together for some time, which shows in playing that is precise yet deceptively relaxed. The sound is excellent, with plenty of body and plenty of space around the voice, but no lack of detail.
There's a neat but neglected Rodgers and Hart song that begins "Baby's awake now, baby can do things...." Full of snappy optimism, it's just how I feel about this album and the place Mary's in right now. It passes the ultimate test; the more you listen, the more you find in it and the better you like “This Is What You Are”.
This is What You Are CD - Jacky Niewiadomsky, Radio Sky Music Jazz
'Your Album is excellent. You have a lot of talent and those are brilliant musicians'
Mary May - Lady Jazz (Edinburgh Fringe) 30 August, Jazz Bar
Review by Tom King
This session at The Jazz Bar was Mary May’s second year visit to The Edinburgh Fringe, and I was lucky enough to catch last year’s sessions at The Jazz Bar too, so I had some idea of the high quality of Jazz singer that I was going to see.
Whereas last year’s session was built around the songs of Billie Holiday, this year’s “Lady Jazz” session was a mixture of standards, some newer songs, and songs you might not expect to hear from a jazz singer...many of course to some original arrangements (as last year’s set was).
Mary May was with the Mary May Quintet tonight – Colin Black (Guitar), Jim Gardiner (Drums), Alan King (Piano) and Ray Leonard (acoustic Bass and musical arranger).
There was an eclectic mixture of songs in this show and it all worked to produce a performance that seemed to go by far too quickly. There were standards including “You Go To My Head”, “The Way You Look Tonight” and “I Got Plenty O Nuttin’” from Porgy and Bess, a version of “Sweet is The Air” by Alice Russel and some pop standards given a Jazz arrangement.
I have to admit that it is these new arrangements of more contemporary artists’ work that I liked best tonight as they were new to me in this form. These include “Roxanne” – The Police and “A Hard Day’s Night” - The Beatles. The “Superwoman/Where Were You When I Needed You” arrangement of Stevie Wonder’s song from his 1972 “Music In My Mind” album was amazing too. This was a two part song on the album and it was the second part of the full song that was used...look at the lyrics for the first part on Google – perfect for a lady called Mary.
I have heard “Roxanne” being reworked a few times, but the Jazz arrangement of “A Hard Day’s Night” was new to me and I liked this one a lot. To me, the often enduring appeal of a Beatles song is that it can often be deconstructed musically (well the earlier songs anyhow) and re-arranged in infinite variations, and jazz musicians seem to love doing that with songs at many levels. I would love to hear a full session of these reworked modern songs and maybe even a CD of them one day.
There was also a tinge of sadness in the show as Mary dedicated “Ole Black Magic” to her former drummer and friend Grant Robertson who had sadly passed away. A Frank Sinatra tribute to a big Frank Sinatra fan.
This was just one of those nice enjoyable musical evenings that you get from time to time with a very talented singer (and band) who has a very warm relationship with her audience.
Mary May and her Quintet PLUS horn sections are back at The Jazz Bar on Sunday November 1st from 9.15 to 11.45 for the launch of her debut CD “This is What You Are”. Try to be there if you can as I am sure it will be a great evening out.
CD Review 'This is What you Are' - Mary May
from Showtime Edinburgh
“This Is What You Are” is the debut CD from Scottish singer Mary May. Both Mary and the musicians on this album including Colin Black (Guitar), Jim Gardiner (Drums), Alan King (Piano) and Ray Leonard (Acoustic Bass and musical arranger) are probably well known to many live music audiences as Jazz performers.
Do not let that word Jazz put you off of this CD as, although there are Jazz elements on it, this is just a classic slice of what used to be called “Easy Listening” and the music here covers a wide variety of songs and music in a wide variety of styles and periods. To make it even more interesting Mary May has not gone for the easy route of interpreting the 12 songs on this CD as straight covers, but instead as new arrangements.
Much of the music here has a very laid-back retro feel to it. Some tracks such as “Kisses in the Rain” and “Sunday Kind of Love” have that classic sound and feel of Julie London about them, and Mary May does a great job of bringing back that sound, style and feel with her vocals on these tracks.
Others tracks at times have a real 60s sound to them, particularly that keyboard sound on “Meet Me, Midnight” which at times sounds similar to that classic Stax records sound.
There are classic jazz sounds here, upbeat tempos, and slower numbers...a great version of Stevie Wonder’s “Where Were You (When I Needed You)” and classics such as “The Way You Looked Tonight”.
This is the sort of music that you can just put on, sit back, listen and relax to. There is something on this album to suit many different musical tastes.
You can buy this album direct from
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/marymay3
You can of course buy individual download tracks, but this CD really needs to be heard as a full CD...and at CD audio quality.
Mary May Quintet at Whighams Jazz Club 7th June
A HUGE thanks to Mary May and her quartet for their performance at Whighams last night. Real 'top drawer' stuff in front of a very appreciative crowd. Some wonderful arrangements of great tunes. Go catch Mary whenever you can, she has an abundance of talent and a very tightly knit quartet backing her, further enhances the terrific sound. (Kevin Dorrian)
Mary May Quintet at the Moray Jazz Club (Northern Scot)
Eclectic Mix from Aberdeen Line up - Thursday 7th May 2015
The Moray Jazz Club at the Elgin City Football Club was the place to be on Thursday 7th May. Aberdeen based singer Mary May was there with her band to promote their CD ‘This is What You Are’ and the club was pretty much packed for the gig. The set was an eclectic mix, featuring songs from Stevie Wonder and Barry Manilow alongside well known jazz standards. Ellington’s ‘Satin Doll’ and Squeeze Me’ were given fresh arrangements and ‘Love for Sale’ and ‘Moondance’ were delivered in a laid back groove that both audience and the band were clearly enjoying. There was a lot of interplay between the musicians and the set was very tight despite the element of risk. Keyboard player Alan King skilfully alternated between vibes, organ and piano with ease, bringing an irresistible and swinging delivery to ‘On a Clear Day’ and ‘Meet Me Midnight’. Jim Gardiner on drums brought the whole band together with impeccable timing and dynamic playing which was in evidence on ‘The Late Late Show’ and the uplifting arrangement of Stevie Wonder’s ‘Where were You’. Guitarist Colin Black excelled in his compelling blues-playing on the Billie Holiday classic ‘Fine and Mellow’, the only blues of the evening. Ray Leonard on acoustic bass kept a no-nonsense approach throughout the set, supplying the backbone to the rhythm section, yet displaying a beauty and sensitivity on the hauntingly beautiful arrangement of ‘The Way You Look Tonight’. Mary May has a wonderful sense of phrasing and is clearly immersed in Jazz. Her dark and fragile voice has a tone which is perfect for jazz, and she has the ability to draw the audience in to the drama of the lyric, which she did to great effect on the ballads ‘Sunday Kind of Love’ and ‘God Bless the Child’ .
It is rare to hear a singer interact with the band on equal terms and I went home happy, clutching a copy of the CD. Glancing at the back of the CD, I noticed the logo ‘Jazz2the Bone’. If the gig was anything to go by, it does exactly what it says on the tin.
* * * * CD Review - This is What You Are -
Chris Mosey (All About Jazz)
When Mary May heard Sarah Vaughan sing "If I Loved You" it blew her away. "She sang in a way I had never heard anyone sing before." Then came Anita O'Day, Nancy Wilson and Marion Montgomery.
But Scots being—famously—careful people, it took a long time before May would opt for a career as a jazz singer, scarcely the most steady of occupations. She continued with her studies of abstract art at Leeds Polytechnic and it wasn't until she attracted the attention of legendary American jazz vocalist Mark Murphy, who lives mostly in the UK, that she finally took the plunge.
Scots being—famously—serious, hard working people, May struggled tirelessly to establish herself, playing all the gigs she could get, including the Edinburgh Fringe, largest arts festival in the world.
Her vocal abilities—in particular her delicate phrasing and fine sense of timing—allowed her to attract a really solid accompanying band. They are with her on this, her first album.Songs range from Wayne Shorter's "Black Nile" to Italian soul singer Mario Biondi's "This Is What You Are," with all stops in between.
"The Way You Look Tonight" begins and ends with what sounds like waves breaking on the shore. When asked about this, Scots being—famously—taciturn people, May responded, "Yes, it is waves."There are some nice breaks by pianist Alan King and Colin Black on guitar and solid work throughout by bassist Ray Leonard, who wrote all but one of the arrangements.
t the end of the day, one can only wish the lady well. To use the vernacular: Mary, lang may yer lum reek.
MARY MAY SINGS BILLIE HOLIDAY (Southside Advertiser)
The Jazz Bar, Friday 15th August, 7pm
There was a long queue outside The Jazz Bar tonight, and when I finally got inside, it was pretty much standing room only left.
Aberdeen-based jazz singer Mary May, accompanied by a four piece band of drums, bass guitar, guitar and keyboards, performed a faultless one-hour set of Billie Holiday songs (some written by Billie Holiday herself). The tone of her singing was perfect for numbers such as Don't Explain, Lover Man, and God Bless the Child. As Mary explained during the set, some of these songs had been given a slightly more up to date arrangement and were being performed and sung "not exactly as Billie Holiday would have sung them, but as she might have performed them now", and this worked very well. For some, the omission of Strange Fruit as a song choice tonight may have disappointed, but not for me as the songs chosen for this set had obviously been very carefully selected to work well within the confines of a short set performed in a Jazz Bar setting.. Mary seems to have a lot of loyal fans, and many it seems had travelled tonight as the Jazz Bar was packed out for this performance.
Mary May sings Billie Holiday - Jim Brooks
In a long-overdue Fringe debut, Mary May won over the discerning Jazz Bar audience with a thoughtfully-constructed set invoking the spirit of Billie Holiday. Without gimmicks and with a minimum of fuss, she held the interest of the audience throughout, singing with a fascinating mixture of understatement and intensity spiced with humour. This worked well with Holiday’s material, however, with her darker, slightly lower-centred voice Mary made each song very much her own. There are bigger voices around, but there’s an authority in this singer’s work that commands attention, draws in an audience, and makes for deeply rewarding listening. For this gig, Mary was fortunate to have superb support from her quartet, which I believe is Aberdeen-based. An hour well-spent and over all too soon. Mary May - a name to watch.
Mary May Quintet - Aden Theatre
A full house audience greatly appreciated the ensemble which is the Mary May Quintet. Mary's delightfully understated voice beautifully recalls the Billie Holliday sound. With unfaltering melodic rendition of these wonderful wispy sad numbers, Mary and the band communicate not only the sense of longing but the lingering sense of hope. The very able musicians (Colin Black - Guitar, Fabrizio Conti- Drums, Alan King - Piano and Ray Leonard - Bass ) bring a clear synergy to the total performance.
Ruth Smith