Grammy-nominated jazz vocalist Michael Mayo is coming to Walton Arts Center's Starlight Jazz Club this weekend. To preview the show, Mayo spoke with KUAF's longtime host of Shades of Jazz, Robert Ginsberg. Mayo tells Ginsberg music is very much a family affair. He is the son of musician and producer Scott Mayo and singer Valerie Pinkston, and says during his youth it was common to catch his parents jamming with legendary artists like Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross and Luther Vandross.
Michael Mayo: Where I got to meet other musicians that were my age, and we did a lot of community outreach and travel and things. That's where I met Herbie, I met Wayne Shorter, I met Jimmy Heath, I met Dee Dee Bridgewater — I met so many greats and got a chance to work with them and sort of get in their minds about the ways that they see music, think about music. And the cool thing about being in that program is, as the students, you actually are the stationary party. And then every so often, you'll get an artist in residence who comes in. And because you're experiencing a lot of different people, you start noticing certain trends — these are the common themes that I'm noticing that great musicians are often talking about. And you get to really let these thoughts swirl and start thinking about yourself as an artist. I really, really value my time at the institute.
Robert Ginsberg: Can you iterate any of those common themes that stick in your mind?
Mayo: The ones that come to mind, the things that I feel like people often were talking about, were striking a balance — kind of what we were talking about before. Striking a balance between innovation in the scope of the tradition. And then also not being afraid to create sounds that you've maybe not heard before. Just because you haven't heard it doesn't mean it's not possible. And just because no one's done it before doesn't mean it can't be done. And then on the flip side, this idea of discernment. Just because it can be done doesn't mean it should be done. Just because you can do something doesn't mean you must do the thing.
Ginsberg: Sort of like overplaying. Don't just do something. Stand there.
Mayo: Exactly. It's like addition and subtraction.
Ginsburg: The greatest importance, I think, is in the silence sometimes.
Mayo: Totally. Absolutely.
Ginsberg: Tell me a little bit about the band you're bringing to Northwest Arkansas on Feb. 21.
Mayo: We have Kyle Miles on bass — an incredible bass player from Boston. And on keys, it's going to be Addison Frei. Amazing piano player. I've been playing with these guys for a really long time, and we've gotten very cozy as an ensemble. Every time we play together, the music grows and changes in a beautiful way.
Ginsberg: There's something about an actual band, a working band, and the empathy that develops — being able to feel that camaraderie. That's got to be good for the music.
Mayo: Absolutely. I don't know if I'd say it's everything, because sometimes people who don't like each other can still make great music. But for me, the social bedding really makes the music. It gives it the most elastic and the most ready-to-be-played-with quality. When we're hanging before the gig and the vibes are right, and when we're hanging after the gig and the vibes are right, it is worlds better than if those pieces aren't really coming together — especially when it's some of the people that you know best and that are close friends. You can't really ask for more than that.
Ginsberg: Have you got any new projects or new music in the works that you'd be willing to talk about?
Mayo: There is something currently in the works that I probably will be announcing soon-ish.
Ginsberg: How does that process work for you? Your recordings are so well-produced and so well thought out, but there's still a feeling of spontaneity about them. They're tight, and I imagine it's a tedious process in some ways.
Mayo: The process of putting together an album is very work-intensive, necessarily. But for me, it really comes down to letting the ensemble shine. When I'm producing a record or working on a track, I ask myself in the preliminary stages: What does this music want to be? And who are some folks that I think would really be able to capture the vision of this?
Ginsberg: We just heard an excerpt from a project that Michael Mayo recorded with the Norrbotten Big Band, a composition he wrote entitled "About Your Love." Congratulations on your two Grammy nominations — Best Jazz Performance and Best Jazz Vocal Album. How was the Grammy experience, Michael?
Mayo: It was crazy. It was a real whirlwind. We went to the red carpet and took a bunch of photos and did a few interviews. We saw all the pageantry — the beautiful outfits and the hair and the makeup and the lights. And the ceremony was really cool to get to go to and see. I had a lot of friends win stuff, which was great. A lot of really amazing performances. I don't think I necessarily expected to get nominated. And when you don't expect it and then you get it, it's kind of just an added bonus on top of what was already a great year of touring the Fly record. It was a really good time. I felt like I was behind the curtain in a cool way.
Ginsberg: Remotely related to that experience — I ran across a quote from you, and this is from some years ago, I think it was maybe when you were interviewed by Leo Sidran, that just stuck in my head. And I thought it was so amusing. You said — and you were talking about social media — you said, somehow finding the balance between staying sane and being seen.
And it stuck in my head because I'm at this place in life personally where I care less about being seen — as we get older, you know, that happens. But it also makes me reflect on — it's not just being seen, it's like being relevant or being appreciated. I think it's all of those things. But I thought it was sort of telling coming from you as a young man. And like I say, this was maybe four or five years ago. Is that still part of what you feel like you have to deal with? You know, the world is changing so rapidly. I often tell people the things that I've seen in the last 10 years are unlike anything that I saw in the previous 60. And I just look to the next five and wonder what's next. So I think your statement reflects that, and I'm just curious about is it still a part of what you struggle with in terms of balancing your life?
Mayo: You're right, the landscape has totally changed. Five years ago, things were already starting to change and we were seeing things that we had never seen before. And that kind of cycle continues. Where I'm at in my career now, I know that I have eyes on me in a way. So it doesn't feel the same as it used to, where baseline being seen was so very important — because I know now I have a fan base who, if I drop something, are going to probably listen to it. Now it's more about increasing the range of folks who see your work. But I'm still mostly just trying to focus on the music. Because if I'm overly focused on being seen, sometimes for my brain it can turn into — sometimes it can be fun, sometimes it can get dark. It really just depends on what's going on. That's why I always fall back on the music and just try to be as authentic as possible there.
Ginsberg: Trust the music. It's the best thing you could possibly do.
Mayo: Exactly.
That was Michael Mayo speaking with KUAF Shades of Jazz host Robert Ginsberg. Mayo will perform at Walton Arts Center this Saturday, Feb. 21, at 7:30 p.m.
Ozarks at Large transcripts are created on a rush deadline and edited for length and clarity. Copy editors utilize AI tools to review work. KUAF does not publish content created by AI. Please reach out to kuafinfo@uark.edu to report an issue. The audio version is the authoritative record of KUAF programming.
