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Whether vocalist Michael Mayo is performing with his band, as a guest, or alone with a looper pedal and a piano, the LA native’s commanding and other worldly vocalese has been gathering critical and commercial acclaim around the globe. Mayo attended the prestigious Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance (now the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz), only the third vocalist to be accepted into the 20-year-old program, where he learned from the likes of Wayne Shorter and Herbie Hancock.
Mayo, a veteran international performer, has been a featured vocalist at the White House, the Kennedy Center, and Renée Fleming’s American Voices Festival, while his own band has performed at The Hollywood Bowl, The Monterey Jazz Festival, The London Jazz Festival, North Sea Jazz Festival and the Atlanta Jazz Festival among many others. Most recently he has recorded and performed with Herbie Hancock, Jacob Collier, Scary Pockets, Lenny Kravitz, Josh Groban, and many others. In 2022, Mayo was named “International Artist of the Year” at the Deutscher Jazzpreis (German Jazz Prize). Mayo’s highly anticipated sophomore release FLY featuring pianist Shai Maestro, bassist Linda Oh, and drummer Nate Smith, will be released on October 4th, 2024 on Mack Avenue.
Mayo exhibits preternatural command in range and phrasing. He brings to mind a more disciplined Frank Ocean. Mayo sprinkles in vocalese with aplomb, and when he unleashes his falsetto, which he does sparingly, it adds a jolt of delight.” – Jazziz