Jazz Articles about Bill Mays

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Bill Mays: When Mays Plays, Musicians Listen

by Jason West
May 17, 2004

O the infinite particulars of modern jazz. Promoters can't sell it. Audiences are hesitant to pay for it. Most players make next to nothing. There're no hits. No stars. Minimal airplay. A distant third on the priority list behind dinner and conversation.

But occasionally there is magic. Life-affirming magic. The most immediate and intimate kind. If you listen close you can feel it along with the musicians as it happens ï" and then it's over.

The magic of jazz improvisation ...

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A Fireside Chat With Bill Mays

by AAJ Staff
October 7, 2003

Bud Shank loves Bill Mays. That is enough of a reference for me. But Mays is no stranger to heavies, having played with Sarah Vaughan and Gerry Mulligan. What isn’t shown on his impressive resume is how his last two albums, Summer Sketches and Going Home, are better than his first two. I guess Mays, like many in jazz and fine wine, improve with age. (Apologies are in order for using an overused, warhorse comparison.) Ladies and gents, Bill Mays, ...

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Bill Mays Trio: Going Home

by Jim Santella
April 5, 2003

Dedicated to the memory of Shelly Manne, Red Mitchell and Jimmy Rowles, Bill Mays' thirteenth album as leader features straight-ahead jazz adventures with mellow overtones. While each of the three veteran artists making up this piano trio have been known to stretch out on occasion, their Going Home session simmers gently with a rustic quality.

Mays, 59, discovered jazz at many of San Francisco's nightspots as a teenager. At 17, he paid his dues with the U.S. Navy's ...

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The Bill Mays Trio: Going Home

by C. Michael Bailey
March 17, 2003

Bill Mays spent the majority of 1970s accompanying Sarah Vaughan and Al Jarreau. Lately he has performing on film scores. His talent in these settings is understated and perhaps one must first approach Mr. Mays's art from Live At Maybeck Recital Hall, Volume 26 (Concord Jazz CCD 4567, 1992). On Going Home, Mr. Mays is joined by drummer Matt Wilson, who himself has recently released a warmly-received solo outing on Palmetto, Humidity . This recording is a solid trio outing ...

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Bill Mays Trio: Summer Sketches

by Dave Nathan
July 1, 2001

Any album that's recorded in a place called Maggie's Farm has to be a listening treat, and the latest from the Bill Mays Trio is just that. The salubrious effects of living and working in the bucolic setting of the Delaware Water Gap is reflected in the relaxed, serene and languid playing of this group as it pays tribute to that most languid of all seasons, Summer. The play list is filled with songs dedicated to this time of the ...

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Bill Mays Trio: Summer Sketches

by Glenn Astarita
April 1, 2001

After years of performing from within the Los Angeles studio scene, Bill Mays (now a denizen of New York City), serenades the dawning of summer 2001, with this exquisite and quietly powerful trio recording aptly titled, Summer Sketches.

On his 'Palmetto Records' debut, the pianist along with bassist Martin Wind and drummer Matt Wilson commence the proceedings with the sounds of mother nature going about her business as they set the stage for a series of group originals and theme-based ...