Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Mary May: This Is What You Are

Mary May: This Is What You Are

By Chris Mosey
July 23, 2015
View read count

When Mary May heard

Sarah Vaughan

vocals
1924 - 1990

" data-original-title="" title="">Sarah Vaughan sing "If I Loved You" it blew her away. "She sang in a way I had never heard anyone sing before." Then came

Anita O'Day

vocals
1919 - 2006

" data-original-title="" title="">Anita O'Day,

" data-original-title="" title="">Nancy Wilson and Marion Montgomery. They all made May yearn to follow in their footsteps.

But Scots being—famously—careful people, it took a long time before May would opt for a career as a jazz singer, scarcely the most steady of occupations.

She continued with her studies of abstract art at Leeds Polytechnic and it wasn't until she attracted the attention of legendary American jazz vocalist

Mark Murphy

vocals
1932 - 2015

" data-original-title="" title="">Mark Murphy, who lives mostly in the UK, that she finally took the plunge.

Scots being—famously—serious, hard working people, May struggled tirelessly to establish herself, playing all the gigs she could get, including the Edinburgh Fringe, largest arts festival in the world.

Her vocal abilities—in particular her delicate phrasing and fine sense of timing—allowed her to attract a really solid accompanying band. They are with her on this, her first album.

Songs range from

Wayne Shorter

saxophone
1933 - 2023

" data-original-title="" title="">Wayne Shorter's "Black Nile" to Italian soul singer Mario Biondi's "This Is What You Are," with all stops in between.

"The Way You Look Tonight" begins and ends with what sounds like waves breaking on the shore. When asked about this, Scots being—famously—taciturn people, May responded, "Yes, it is waves."

All the songs are extremely well crafted but the album suffers—perhaps inevitably —from being just that wee bit too careful. Bernard Ighner's anthem "Everything Must Change" in particular cries out for some passionate abandon... doesn't get it.

There are some nice breaks by pianist Alan King and Colin Black on guitar and solid work throughout by bassist Ray Leonard, who wrote all but one of the arrangements.

At the end of the day, one can only wish the lady well. To use the vernacular: Mary, lang may yer lum reek.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

Black Nile; Watching Me, Watching You; Meet Me, Midnight; Late. Late Show; Kisses In The Rain; Jeannine; Sunday Kind Of Love; The Way You Look Tonight; I Love Being Here With You; Where Were You When I Needed You; Everything Must Change; This Is What You Are.

Personnel

Mary May

vocals

Mary May: vocals; Alan King: piano, Hammond organ; Colin Black: guitar; Eddie McGovern: trombone; Craig Dawson: alto saxophone; Alan Haggart: trumpet, flugelhorn; Ray Leonard: bass; Jim Gardner: drums.

Album information

Title: This is What You Are | Year Released: 2015 | Record Label: Self Produced

PREVIOUS / NEXT

A-Trane Nights
< Previous

Roundabout
Next >

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.