Now a 20-something, vocalist/composer/arranger Michael Mayo is already well on his was to earning his stripes as a jazzman. He was accepted into the highly selective Thelonious Monk Institute— only the 3rd vocalist to do so in 20 years—and to the Betty Carter Jazz Ahead Program for his composing. It is our pleasure to introduce Michael and his elegant voice to the Litchfield Jazz audience.
Originally from Los Angeles and now residing in New York, Mayo received his Bachelors of Music in Jazz Voice Performance from the New England Conservatory of Music (NEC). He has already performed at the Kennedy Center, the Panama Jazz Festival, the Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles’ Catalina Bar and Grill and stages in Chile, Australia, and Brazil. As part of his post-grad stint at the Monk Institute, Mayo had the honor of working with Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Jimmy Heath, John Pattitucci, Danilo Pérez, Dick Oatts, Lewis Nash, Luciana Souza, and Gretchen Parlato.
The Boston Jazz Blog wrote of Mayo “ … (he) has the maturity of composers twice his age. Mayo’s vocal lines, both scored and improvised, are interesting and sophisticated.”
This is Michael Mayo’s first appearance at Litchfield. His band includes Miro Sprague on piano, Josh Johnson on alto sax, Alex Bonham on bass, and a talented young drummer who grew up at Litchfield and is blazing a trail of his own, Robin Baytas.
