Marilyn Maye Returns to Feinstein's, 5/24-6/4

FEINSTEIN'S AT LOEWS REGENCY, the nightclub proclaimed "Best of New York" by New York Magazine and "an invaluable New York institution" by The New York Post, will continue its Spring 2011 season with the return engagement of Grammy Award nominated singer and entertainer Marilyn Maye with her new show "It's Maye In May." Her recent local appearances have been received with rave reviews and full houses. According to Rex Reed in The New York Observer, "Her show is not to be missed. It's a master class in singing conducted by a polished pro who majored in unforgettable." In addition to performing jazz and pop standards from the American Songbook composers, Marilyn will be adding her creative touch to songs by her favorite contemporary songwriters including Peter Allen, James Taylor, Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman. She'll present several Broadway show tunes including one from a current Tony Award-nominated Broadway musical. Maye will be joined by pianist/conductor Tedd Firth, bassist Tom Hubbard, and Jim Eklof, her drummer of almost 50 years. The show runs at Tuesday, May 24 to Saturday, June 4 at the Loews Regency Hotel (540 Park Avenue at 61st Street).

Marilyn Maye - dubbed "Super Singer" by the late Johnny Carson - has been heralded for her amazing vocal dexterity, the sheer excitement, boundless energy and authenticity of her performances, as well as the unique party atmosphere she creates wherever she appears. Stephen Holden, in a recent New York Times review, declared "As Marilyn Maye threaded her way from the stage through a packed house of cheering admirers; I overheard comparisons to Judy Garland's 1961 concert at Carnegie Hall. You can sense a similar electric connection between singer and audience." In a 2010 Wall Street Journal profile, Will Friedwald raved "Marilyn Maye is pretty much every singer you ever wanted to hear: She has the rhythm and the musicianship of a great jazz singer, the projection and personality of a heavyweight Broadway diva and creates the intimate bond with her audiences that we demand from a cabaret artist."

Her recording of the song "Too Late Now" - from her RCA album The Lamp Is Low - was chosen by the Smithsonian Institute and included in its 20th Century Permanent Collection. Add 76 appearances on "The Tonight Show," multiple appearances on national prime-time television show, such as Ed Sullivan, Hollywood Palace, Jackie Gleason, Dick Cavett and more, a Grammy Award nomination as "Best New Artist," a bevy of awards reflecting her showmanship, and you have an illustrious singing career that is still going strong after a lifetime spent entertaining audiences.

In her early years, Marilyn was heard regularly on the radio, worked in a variety of nightclubs around the midwest, and was ultimately discovered by Steve Allen, who invited her to appear on his primetime television show. Soon after, Marilyn signed a recording contract with RCA which resulted in seven albums and 34 singles. In 1966, after Ed McMahon heard her at the Living Room in New York, she began appearing on "The Tonight Show," starring Johnny Carson. She holds the singer's record of 76 appearances. In the 1970s, Marilyn made the transition to theater, starring in productions of Can Can, Follies and Jerry Herman's blockbuster musicals Mame and Hello, Dolly!

After a sixteen-year absence from New York, though she never stopped working in other parts of the country, Ms. Maye returned to appear as a special guest of the annual Mabel Mercer Cabaret Convention at Lincoln Center. A series of glowingly-reviewed New York performances was followed by more concerts. As a result of this resurgence in New York, Maye has never been busier. She has performed twice with Peter Nero and the Philly Pops, with Michael Feinstein at Zankel Hall, with Doc Severinsen and the Phoenix Symphony, Catalina's Jazz Club in Hollywood, the Rrazz Room in San Francisco, the Colony Hotel in Palm Beach, Dakota's in Minneapolis, as well as other major symphonies and clubs around the country.

Marilyn is the winner of the coveted Jazz Heritage Award, the 2008 and 2009 Nightlife Critics Award as "Outstanding Vocalist", the Back Stage Bistro "Lifetime Achievement Award" and the MAC "Celebrity of the Year" award for two consecutive years, 2009 and 2010. The Bruekelein Institute presented Marilyn their 2009 Gaudium Award for "Illuminating the Horizon of Human Experience". In 2010 she was presented the Mabel Mercer Foundation's "Mabel Award" and the Licia Albanese-Puccini Society honored her with their "Lifetime Achievement Award."

Last November at Carnegie Hall, Marilyn received a show-stopping standing ovation after singing "I'm Still Here" with the New York Pops celebrating Stephen Sondheim's 80th Birthday. More information is available at www.marilynmaye.com.

FEINSTEIN'S AT LOEWS REGENCY will present Marilyn Maye and her new show "It's Maye in May" with the following schedule: Tuesday through Thursday at 8:30 PM and Friday and Saturday evenings at 8:00 PM and 10:30 PM. All shows have a $40.00 cover, with $60.00 premium seats available, and an additional $25 food and beverage minimum. Jackets are suggested but not required. FEINSTEIN'S AT LOEWS REGENCY is located at 540 Park Avenue at 61st Street in New York City. For ticket reservations and club information, please call (212) 339-4095 or visit us online at feinsteinsatloewsregency.com and TicketWeb.com.

 

Photo Credit: Walter McBride/WM Photos