Michael Mayo

Fly

Artistry/Mack Avenue

Vocalist Michael Mayo could easily have chosen a crossover or jazz infused R&B, the latter of which characterized his 2021  Bones. Instead Mayo moves into pure jazz realms on his sophomore release, Fly. He wants to experiment and improvise as such, just a glance at the supporting cast, indicates that he sought out like-minded accompanists. They are pianist Shai Maestro, bassist Linda May Han Oh,  and drummer Nate Smith as the backing trio with contributions from Scott Mayo (his dad) on vocals and saxophones and vocalist Valerie Pinkston (his mom)  on the title track. The album is a mix of Mayo originals, standards, and well-known jazz classics, making in a jazz centric release that while still soulful, hardly qualifies as any kind of crossover. Mayo put his overthinking instincts behind and was intent on operating in-the-moment. He says, “…There were different emotional areas I wanted to explore but I started a lot of these sounds with improvisation and followed that thread…I didn’t rush but I treated everything with a certain amount of immediacy…For me this album has a ‘let’s go’ feel.”

Vocals are in Mayo’s DNA. Perhaps this is his way of showing he can confidently stand aside some of the best improvisers in this music and carve a different path than his backup singing mom, Valerie Pinkston, who has sung behind Beyonce, Whitney Houston, Luther Vandross, and Diana Ross; or his dad, Scott Mayo, who sang and played saxophone for Earth, Wind, and Fire and was a sideman for Sergio Mendes. All the connections and Mayo’s own chops were in place for a similar path but he instead chose to experiment with his immense vocal gifts,  eventually attending the New England Conservatory of Music and The Thelonious Monk Institute at UCLA (now the Hancock Institute of Jazz).s. If his previous outing was putting his toes in the water, on Fly, he plunges right into the deep end.

Two singles have already been released, the most recent of which is his original “Bag of Bones” which kicks off the album. He explores the connection of our body and soul in music that ebbs and flows behind Maestro’s shimmering piano and May Oh’s earth bass.  Nate Smith steadies the ship, delivering a heart beat pattern in the kick drum to send us into the hereafter, hopefully joyously. The prior release was the band’s hip Jon Henricks like treatment of  Miles Davis’s “Four,” where Mayo, as he does in several places here, reveal his scatting and vocalese skills. It also proves a strong feature for May Oh.

Mayo and band utilize a snappy rhythm and Maestro’s Rhodes stylings to completely update the ‘30s standard “Just Friends,” most often assoicated with Charlie Parker on his immortal Strings album. His original, “I Wish” initially swings before simmering in soul-jazz mode with Maestro bouncing joyfully to the bass-drum tandem whereas his “Silence” is a bit more abstract, yet demonstrates Mayo’s remarkable vocal range and nuances, often sounding like a horn fronting the trio. The aptly titled family affair title track moves along gleefully as one would expect.

The second half is mostly creative readings of familiar tunes with just one original. “I Didn’t Know What Time It is” his Mayo effectively layering his vocals and delivering some of his best vocalese. Case in point , he credits himself with shaker, snaps, and vocal percussion here. He emits the requisite late night vibe on “It Could Happen to You,” by far the most ‘old school’ sounding of these tracks but Mayo’s unique phrasing gives it a new sheen. He then tackles the ballad “Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most,” covered by countless artists and effectively by Betty Carter and recently by Nicole Zuraitis on her 2023 Grammy winning  How Love Begins. Mayo’s deliciously delicate emotive rendering can stand with those.  It’s that strong, reinforced with delicate turns from May Oh, Maestro, and Smith’s brushwork.  The album ends with a vocalese take on Wayne Shorter’s “Speak No Evil” with his dad’s soprano sax blending beautifully with Michael’s voice.  Mayo straps on the guitar for his original “Frenzy,” soaring above the electronic backdrop with wordless vocals before yielding to a monster piano solo from Maestro.

This is a strong candidate for Vocal Album of the Year. Mayo challenged himself and pulled it off with aplomb.

– Jim Hynes

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