By Marilyn Lester***Contemplating the astounding Marilyn Maye on her annual birthday residency at 54 Below, two thoughts come immediately to mind: one, that the outworn phrase “timeless” truly applies to her at the remarkable age of 97, still high-kicking and singing with vocal chops very nearly the same (its about keys) as in a 
youthful heyday. The second thought is that she’s known as The Marvelous Marilyn Maye—but she’s way beyond that honorific; insert any descriptor of choice: stupendous, amazing, awesome and many more will do nicely.
Timely note: You can still witness this wonder of this performer at the club through Saturday, April 19 and she’ll be live-streaming her last date. Sign up for that here.
On the Saturday, April 12 performance attended by yours truly, Maye demonstrated oh, so easily how she “breathes new life into classics”—and this after eight decades in the business. Of that achievement, this run of shows was one of reminiscence and of more yet to come. The evening began with a video of Maye on one of her appearances on “The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.” Here, indelibly, was proof of why she holds a record for her times on the show and why Carson remarked about her chops, “this is how its done.” A standing ovation commenced the second Maye entered the 54 Below show room and launched into a vibrant rendition of “Cabaret” (John Kander, Fred Ebb), In her hands the song was her truth and a statement of fact—life is to be celebrated.
There is, of course, the glorious voice (which she knows how to use in spades) but the item that elevates Maye above the rest of the pack is her lyric interpretation. She inhabits a song, lives it, and translates any tune in her vast repertoire with 
depth and meaning, like no other. On the medley of “By Myself” (Arthur Schwartz, Howard Dietz), with Stephen Sondheim’s “Being Alive,” time stopped. Sondheim is all about lyric—he’s one of the most brilliant lyricists to have walked the planet. “Being Alive” is a performer’s favorite. In her hands, the song came very much alive—deeply resonant, evocative, thoroughly relatable and definative. Would it be too much to ask others to refrain now?
One can always depend on Maye for interesting tidbits in her narrative, plenty of wit and an extraordinary ability to embrace and connect with her audience. When she sang “The Song Is You” (Jerome Kern, Oscar Hammerstein II) there was no doubt it was a valentine to each and every person in the seats. There was also a valentine to Carson upon this his centenary year: a splendid reading of his favorite song “Here’s That Rainy Day” (Jimmy Va Heusen, Johnny Burke) combined with”Stormy Weather” (Harold Arlen, Ted Koehler) in which she revealed a blues soul.
What else Maye revealed in the show was her “Jazz Marilyn” side, which she applied to a swinging, afore-mentioned “The Song Is You” and to “Bluesette” by the late jazz chromatic harmonica player-guitarist, Toots Thielmans. That tune was part of her “Spring Medley.” Medleys are a Maye trademark and show her ability to choose great 
numbers, put them together and seamlessly intertwine and/or slide from one to the other. But her intelligence, easy to take for granted in how she constructs and executes a show, is the foundation for her excellence as a performer beyond sheer talent. And so to end the show, she chose Jerry Herman’s enthusiastic statement of positivity in a forward-looking uptempo “It’s Today.”
An unfailing key to an entertainer’s stature is in the musicians giving support. Music director and genius pianist-arranger, Tedd Firth, with bassist Tom Hubbard and drummer Mark McLean, all virtuosic in their own right, were clearly having a great time on stage with Maye. That delight in accompanying a performer speaks volumes.
The legendary Duke Ellington, one of America’s best and most important musician-composers, didn’t believe in categories—and praised the incomparable Ella Fitzgerald as “beyond category.” That crown has long passed to our own Marilyn Maye.
Photos by Kevin Alvey
