LONDON: Virtuosic vocalist/composer and international performer, Michael Mayo establishes himself as one of the most acclaimed and versatile voices in music today, with his label debut, Bones on Artistry Music/Mack Avenue Music Group. Produced by Eli Wolf (Norah Jones, J Dilla, Robert Glasper, Maceo Parker).

Michael is a gifted singer and arranger who is only the third vocalist ever accepted into the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz (now the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz) in its 20-year history. Michael moves with ease between interpreting classics with a small group or big band, to creating experimental and improvisational solo compositions that can have as many as 250 looped and layered vocal lead and choral harmony parts. Michael has toured internationally with Herbie Hancock and he has been the featured vocalist on releases from Kneebody, Scary Pockets, and Amber Navran.

Michael is similarly skilled at merging aspects of different musical genres or ignoring them when he chooses. “I used to be pretty rigid when it came to genres. I was, like, ‘Jazz and R&B are mutually exclusive, and you must approach them like two entirely different things.’ But I learned that things that seem like they are entirely unrelated usually do have a common thread. Today, whether I’m singing my own music or other people’s, I know that the only real common thread I care about is truth and authenticity.”

The son of “first-call” session and touring musicians, Michael’s dad Scott Mayo was a saxophonist for Earth, Wind & Fire, among many others, and is currently the musical director for Sergio Mendes, while his mom Valerie Pinkston, now a back-up vocalist for Diana Ross, also sang with Beyoncé, Luther Vandross, Ray Charles, Whitney Houston and even alt icon Morrissey. Born and raised in L.A., but a diehard New Yorker for the past five years (drawn by “the music, art and energy, its motivating factor”), 28-year-old Michael Mayo finished work on his debut solo album Bones, on the Artistry Music/Mack Avenue Music Group, just before COVID hit. The tracks were cut live with his band — keyboardist Andrew Freedman, bassist Nick Campbell and drummer Robin Baytas, all of whom he’s played with since high school or college — at Figure8 Recordings in Brooklyn. Eli Wolf, a veteran Grammy®-winning producer of albums by Al Green, Norah Jones and The Roots, did the honors behind the board. 

For radio enquiries, please contact: 
Iain Murray / iain.murray@propermusicgroup.com

Media contacts:
Jo Donnelly /jo.donnelly@propermusicgroup.com
Joshua Hart / joshua.hart@propermusicgroup.com

www.michaelmayomusic.com

Michael Mayo – ’20/20′ (Official Video)

Michael Mayo – ‘You And You’ (Official Video)

Michael Mayo – ‘The Way’ (Official Video)