BILL MAYS
The Inventions Trio
FANTASY
Bill Mays – piano
Marvin Stamm - trumpet, flugelhorn
Alisa Horn - cello


A skillful combination of modern jazz and classical themes, Fantasy is an album that is challenging, yet highly melodic and listenable. A notable achievement.
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When I read that leading pianist Bill Mays' new group was created to explore the intersection of chamber music and jazz I was immediately interested. He is one of the few jazz artists who sometimes includes classical repertory into a jazz context - in common with people such as Roger Kellaway's Cello Quartet, jazz cellists such as Oscar Pettiford and Fred Katz, and going back to the Swing Era - the many big bands and groups like John Kirby's which often played classical themes.

In the 1970s Mays was asked by jazz flutist Bud Shank to write a five movement flute suite, which he did. (Odd that Shank now wants nothing to do with the flute anymore, calling his old group with Laurindo Almeida "The LA Snore.") In the 1980s Mays did a jazz arrangement of The Nutcracker Suite - which Ellington had also done earlier. He's also written sax quartets, works for the Aureole chamber ensemble, and scores for numerous TV shows and films. Trumpeter Stamm appears as soloist with symphony orchestras and as a member of the George Gruntz Concert Jazz Band. Cellist Horn's entire background until recently was entirely in the classical world. She played in the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and as principal cello in the Henry Mancini Institute Orchestra. She reveals in the album's note booklet how scary it was for a classically-trained musician to face
improvisation. Horn was sure she played notes wrongly until her compatriots assured her there was really no specific wrong or right.

This is a rather unusual makeup for a trio playing any sort of music, but it works beautifully - might I even say inventingly? - on the nine tracks. The Rachmaninov Vocalise has been transcribed dozens of different ways - in fact there is an RCA Red Seal CD compiling a bunch of them. The Trio's version is one of the finest I've heard. Gershwin's Second Prelude for Piano has also come in for some unusual transcriptions, and the Trio's is highly successful here. Other delights are the Scriabin Prelude and Debussy's Girl with the Flaxen Hair. May's own extended Fantasy - the disc's title tune - mixes the two genres with great skill and reminded me in some parts of Claude Bolling's chamber-jazz Suites.
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ARTIST BACKGROUND
Former musical director for Sarah Vaughan, Mays has built an enviable career in music. A prolific composer and arranger, he has contributed music to the recordings and libraries of many artists including Carnegie Hall Jazz Orchestra; Woody Herman Band; Shelly Manne; Bud Shank; Lew Tabackin; and Phil Woods. He’s played with such elite jazz players as Gerry Mulligan; Ron Carter; Sonny Stitt; Art Pepper; Phil Woods; and Benny Golson. As an accompanist, he has worked with: Andrea Bocelli; Captain & Tenille; Rosemary Clooney; Aretha Franklin; Larry Gatlin; Robert Goulet; Shirley Horn; Al Jarreau; Sheila Jordan; Peggy Lee; Barry Manilow; Helen Merrill; Anita O’Day; Helen Reddy; Frank Sinatra; Barbara Streisand; Kiri Te Kanawa; Mel Torme; Sarah Vaughan; Dionne Warwick; and Andy Williams.

Twelve years of working in the prestigious LA studio and jazz scene has continued the demand for his keyboard versatility on movie and TV soundtracks. His work includes: Adaptation, The Alamo, Annie, Being John Malkovich, Cobb, Consenting Adults, Fargo, Frida, Interview With The Vampire, It Could Happen To You, Jaws, Lethal Weapon, Mission To Mars, Rocky, Shaft 2, Sleepless In Seattle, S.W.A.T, Superman, Terms Of Endearment and Wolf.

Incredibly versatile as an artist, in any one month, Mays might perform solo, collaborate with trumpeter Marvin Stamm, assemble his trio, and then sit with his Toronto-based chamber jazz septet after doing a soundtrack recording or taping with a studio orchestra! Since moving to New York City in the mid-1980's, Mays has performed at famed national venues including Jazz Standard, Bradley’s, Birdland, Blue Note, Merkin Hall, Jazz Alley, The Kennedy Center and at prestigious venues in Germany, Denmark, France, Belgium and The Netherlands.

A native of California, Mays was born in a musical family and began playing the piano at age five. As a teenager, his first exposure to jazz was a solo concert by Earl "Fatha" Hines. His unusual melodic twists, rhythmic drive and full use of the whole piano keyboard fascinated the young Mays. Shortly after, Mays was hooked by Wynton Kelly, Art Tatum, Bill Evans, Horace Silver and Jimmy Rowles. After a stint in the U.S. Navy in San Diego, Mays moved north and established himself in Los Angeles. In 1972 he became musical director for Sarah Vaughan and recorded, "A Time in My Life," with her.

Mays has released 14 leader CDs now on Discovery, DMP, Concord and most recently, Palmetto Records. His previous three CDs on Palmetto - Summer Sketches, Going Home and Live at JazzStandard - were theme concepts about topics dear to Mays. Both featured Martin Wind(b) and Matt Wilson(d) and won acclaim nationwide. Summer Sketches was named to many national best of the year lists.