Photos: Marilyn Maye rings in the New Year in the Birdland Theater

2020/21 may have put a pause in Marilyn Maye's consecutive years of performing a New Year's Eve show in front of a live audience (last year was a virtual show), but 2022's New Year's celebration saw her in prime form with enthusiastic patrons once again in the Birdland Theater in NYC.
Backed for 6 shows over 5 nights by her well seasoned trio of Billy Stritch on Piano, Tom Hubbard on Bass, and Daniel Glass on drums...she even managed time to "sit in" for one evening singing a song with Birdland's Big Band on the club's other stage.
If the world has been on pause, Marilyn Maye is going to make up for lost time!

Ms. Maye brought her uniquely positive performance style to the mid-town Manhattan audience. Marilyn let loose the force of her talent with her tribute to love...
Love of romantic partners, love of friends, love of music and the American Songbook.

From "Hey Old Friend" and "Today I Love Everybody" right through to "My Romance" and "Why Did I Choose You" she mined the varying degrees and forms that love takes in our lives. Her stand alone performances of two of her classic recordings, "Too Late Now" and "Take Five", fit neatly into the evening's theme.

In front of a fully vaccinated and masked crowd she made sure to remind everyone in song, even behind the masks, to put their best face forward with "Smile", "That Face", "Whenever I See Your Smiling Face", and "I Love To See You Smile".

Never one to be shy of a good mash up of great lyrics, Marilyn rounded out the evening with her rousing "Fats Waller Medley" and an even more uplifting final show of her love and support for the audience with her "New York Medley" leaving no doubt that even in troubling times... "New York, New York (It's A Helluva Town)".

Of course heading into midnight on New Year's Eve Marilyn and her trio, as has been her tradition for decades, led a perfect 10 second count down into "Auld Lang Syne".
She toasted and sang along with realtors, doctors, architects, designers, writers, singers...and a few photographers.
A Marilyn Maye audience encompasses everyone from young moms to older business men, from Cabaret stars to Broadway hope-to-be's, and from Twenty-somethings to Octogenarians.
She brings one and all together with her ageless energy and timeless artistry.
She is the hope of a Happy New Year.

www.birdlandjazz.com

www.MarilynMaye.com

Photo Credit: Kevin Alvey