Marilyn Maye Master of the Art of Performance

I recently came across this article that I had stashed in a drawer a little over a year ago, when my cabaret guru, teacher, arranger and ass kicker Marilyn Maye was about to turn 88 years old. As of this writing, she’s just swept past 89. Yes, you heard that right. While most people in their late 80’s are waiting for the reaper, Marilyn is out there headlining in top venues, for packed houses of cabaret lovers, who appreciate being blown out of their seats by still, one of the most charming, captivating and outright dynamic performers of the past…well…almost 90 years!

More importantly, Marilyn is a truly nice person who is wonderful to work with. Case in point, I met her at an “open mic” she that was attending in support of her friend in the summer of 2014. I learned that she gave Master Classes and private lessons and the rest is history. I feel that I’ve grown as both performer and songwriter by working with her since. Not surprisingly in fact, she is quite brilliant when it comes to getting the most out of a song, and renown for the way she ‘finishes” leaving audiences gasping and pleading for more. There are few performers who can say, as is true for her, that no audience has ever wanted a Marilyn Maye show to end. She’s been called the greatest caucasian jazz singer ever. By I might add, the greatest black jazz singers ever. I call her the female Sinatra for how comfortable and cool she is on the stage. Its the quality that I strive for in my performances, along with every other singer. Very few make that grade, but she is a the best role model one could have, and the bar is set high by her example.

Lucky me, I also get to appreciate the great contributions she has made to my original songs. It might be to request that I come up with a new verse, or to switch sections of the song around, or to suggest a more dynamic ending. They virtually always end up improving the dynamics and artistry of the song and when appropriate, I love seeing the words on my sheet music, “Arranged by Marilyn Maye”.

I thought you’d enjoy reading about this giant of the cabaret performing world. The title is fittingly, “Master of the Art of Performance” by Elizabeth Ahlfors. It was published in the March/April issue of Cabaret Scenes Magazine.