Review: Michael Mayo Brings a Soulful and Joyful Sound to Guarneri Hall

I have heard looping used as a special effect at concerts with full bands. Mayo did some beatboxing and laid down a four-part harmony as background for a series of beautiful songs. However, his first song was from his debut album, Bones, and he accompanied himself on piano. The poetic lyrics and Mayo's soulful tenor held the room. People (including me) were listening with their eyes closed. He sang a song that has not yet been recorded, called "Fortress," about a friend who was keeping their pain closed off. Some call it a dark night of the soul, but it is rarely just one night, and I found it profoundly moving.

Mayo's singing style is reminiscent of music masters like Al Jarreau, Stevie Wonder, and Bobby McFerrin, to whom he dedicated "Notes." He used his technical aptitude and his voice to make sounds like instruments. I could hear a flute, a didgeridoo, and a rainforest filled with birds and water sounds. I was most impressed with him looping his own voice without electronic assistance. His grasp of rhythm and perfect pitch produced three distinct parts for a hypnotic, gorgeous song. Mayo's concert was listed as an evening of jazz at Guarneri, but he takes jazz to a level rarely heard. His music is a blend of soul, jazz, and new contemporary, which has not yet been given a category.

Mayo's compositions are bound to become classics, but two of my favorite songs of the evening were written by Cole Porter and John Coltrane. "Every Time We Say Goodbye" evoked a longing that broke my heart open and made time stand still. He ended the evening with "Giant Steps!" I remember that song from my childhood when my stepfather would play the opening chords on the piano. "Giant Steps" is one of the reasons that Coltrane was canonized by the African Orthodox Church in San Francisco. Coltrane's music has a deep spiritual nature that continues to inspire people. Mayo's version was immediately recognizable as the first bars of major thirds were sung.

It was the perfect ending to a concert that was too short, but inspiring enough for me to download his albums, Bones and Fly. I asked him when he would record "Fortress," and he told me that he was looking for the perfect songs to accompany that song. When that happens, I will be downloading on the day of its release. I highly recommend checking out Michael Mayo's fledgling catalog, and if you ever get the chance to see him live, do it. He loved the intimate setting of Guarneri Hall, which was designed for its acoustics. Artistic director Stefan Hersh opened Guarneri Hall in the midst of the Chicago Loop. It is located on the third floor of a nondescript mid-century building. I heard several comments about how they got such a great space and how they would never have known that this treasure was there.