Marilyn Maye

Marilyn Maye brings her solo vocal performance to Birdland Theater for a late set on December 30. The bill names Maye alone, with no accompanying musicians or special program specified, placing the focus on a singer whose work spans song performance, arranging, directing and acting. It is a chance to hear a Grammy-nominated recording artist whose career has long joined the worlds of popular song, cabaret and jazz.

Maye was discovered by Steve Allen, whose national television appearances led to an RCA contract, seven albums and 34 singles. She made 76 appearances on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, a record for a singer; Carson’s verdict after one performance was, “And that, young singers, is the way it’s done.” Her recording of “Too Late Now” was selected by the Smithsonian’s Arts Council for an album of 110 Best American Compositions of the Twentieth Century, and she continues to perform with symphonies and big bands across the United States. Wall Street Journal critic Will Friedwald called her “the only pop-song diva working today who can satisfy both crowds at once,” meaning listeners drawn to Broadway-scale drama as well as jazz listeners who expect a performance to swing.