Artist description emotive, playful and superbly inventive bebop-based pianist, one of jazz's better kept secrets until now! On tunes such as "Young and Foolish," "The Touch of Your Lips" and "Stella by Starlight," he was a passionately intense improviser. Mayer's style is firmly rooted in the tradition that flows from Bud Powell to McCoy Tyner, but he executed it in highly personal fashion, often alternating fleet spontaneous melody lines with massive two-handed chording, taking full advantage of the large piano's rich tonal potential. Eyes focused into space, body moving with the rhythm, singing and grunting with his lines, Mayer was the visual embodiment of the driving swing inherent to everything he played. (Live performance review by Don Heckman Jan. 2000, @the Jazz Spot, LA)

Music Style Jazz Pianist, Composer and Educator...

Musical Influences Bill Evans, Red Garland, Horace Silver, Ahmad Jamal

Similar Artists The best of New York Jazz (Miles Davis era)

Artist History For far too long, Jon Mayer an emotive, playful and superbly inventive bebop-based pianist who always delivers ear-pleasing improvisations was one of jazz's better kept secrets. His story started in the mid-to-late '50s, after the Harlem-born piano ace had graduated from the famed High School of Music and Art in Manhattan and briefly attended the Manhattan School of Music. Mayer then became a regularly- appearing member of the thriving NYC music scene, playing with Kenny Dorham, Tony Scott, Pete LaRoca and Ray Draper, and eventually recording with two of the greatest saxophonists ever: Jackie McLean on Strange Blues (Prestige/OJC) and John Coltrane, on a session known as the legendary "I Talk With The Trees" date and finally issued in 1990 as part of Coltrane’s Like Sonny (Roulette). In the ‘60s and ‘70s, Mayer remained active, playing in both New York and Europe with the likes of the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra, Dionne Warwick, Sarah Vaughan and the Manhattan Transfer, and writing songs recorded by Les McCann, Nancy Wilson and others. When, due to numerous causes, he all but disappeared, entering a 13-year period of inactivity during which he rarely performed. But by 1991, Mayer was ready to return to music. He settled in Los Angeles and once again seriously pursued his career in the jazz world. People who heard him, initially with McCann’s Magic Band and as a leader, were readily impressed with his artistry, characterized by a supple and relaxed rhythmic feel and a keen sense of melodicism in his solos. Here was an authentic jazz musician, an artist who desired, as did Charlie Parker when stating his own personal goal, to play fast and clean and go for the pretty notes. A wider range of listeners became aware of Mayer’s talents through his long-overdue debut, 1996’s Round Up The Usual Suspects (Pullen Music), a fine piano trio session with two genuine jazz giants: bassist Ron Carter and drummer Billy Higgins. This year, Mayer will follow up that dynamic premiere with the release of Do It Like This (A-Records), which features his trio of bassist Bob Maize and drummer Harold Mason plus guest tenor saxophonist Ernie Watts, who has been performing with the pianist at such heralded Southern California clubs as The Jazz Bakery and Steamers Cafe. Mayer’s philosophy toward playing–and, really, his playing itself–is deceptively simple. "I’m trying to convey the emotional range and feeling that I perceive in the people that I admired when I started," says Mayer, who goes on to name many of the very best jazz pianists: Bud Powell, Bill Evans, Red Garland, Wynton Kelly, Carl Perkins, Horace Silver. "Those are the guys who got my endorphins kicking, who opened up rooms in my psyche and made me say, ‘I want to do that.’ I think I’ve taken inspiration from them and come up with my own voice." Now happily married, Mayer is quite busy in Southern California, leading his trio, working with a co-led quartet with drum whiz Frank Capp, appearing with Watts and teaching privately. He says he’s having the time of his life. "What’s great for me is finding new depths," he says. "I feel like the new kid on the block and I have that kind of energy on the bandstand. It’s exciting to feel that I’m only now beginning to grow and explore my potential." Critics and colleagues agree. In describing a Mayer performance, the Los Angeles Times said that the pianist "proved himself to be a musician of considerable technical abilities with a mature, engaging improvisational sense and an extreme sensitivity to the music going on around him." Tenor saxophonist Gordon Brisker, with whom Mayer has recorded, extolled, "Jon always catches fire. He’s got a great rhythmic feeling, great jazz roots out of that Wynton Kelly bag. And when I stretch out, it doesn’t throw him. He just keeps swinging." It’s good, then, for jazz fans everywhere that Jon Mayer isn’t a secret anymore. A resourceful, dedicated, decidedly appealing musician, he brings joy through his art to all who hear

Group Members Live At The Jazz Bakery Jon Mayer - piano Bob Maize - bass Harold Mason - drums Do it Like This Jon Mayer - piano Bob Maize - bass Harold Mason - drums With Special Guest Ernie Watts Round up the Usual Suspects Jon Mayer - piano Ron Carter - bass Billy Higgins - drums

Albums Rip Van Winkle-Live at The Jazz Bakery, Do It Like This, Round Up the Usual Suspects

Press Reviews JON MAYER TRIO RIP VAN WINKLE Live at The Jazz Bakery (Fresh Sound / FSR 5027) Jon Mayer first gained some recognition during the second half of the 1950s when he was part of the New York jazz scene and recorded with Jackie McLean and John Coltrane. Although fame eluded him, the bop based pianist kept on working through the decades including a year (1967-68) with Sarah Vaughan, he had some success as a pop songwriter in the 1970s and he toured with the Manhattan Transfer. A period in the 1980s outside of music preceded his move in 1991 to Los Angeles. Since relocating to L.A., Mayer has become a regular in the top jazz clubs and recorded several albums as a leader of which Rip Van Winkle is his third. The pianist has grown quite a bit as a player during the past decade and is currently at the peak of his powers. On this CD, recorded live at the Jazz Bakery on Nov. 25, 1998, Mayer is joined by bassist Bob Maize and drummer Harold Mason. Much of the repertoire (which includes "On Green Dolphin Street","Stella By Starlight" and "If You Could See Me Now") has certainly been performed countless number of times by jazz musicians but Mayer's variations make the songs sound fresh and new. His unaccompanied piano feature on "Embraceable You" is a highlight, he romps through Kenny Barron's "Tragic Magic" (which deserves to be a standard) and introduces two originals of his own: "Shari's Bolero" and "Rip Van Winkle." Throughout the set Mayer revitalizes the jazz tradition by infusing the music with his own personality and subtle but inventive ideas. This swinging yet thoughtful recital is highly recommended, as are Mayer's previous sets: Round Up the Usual Suspects (Pullen) and Do It Like This (A Records). by Scott Yanow / LA Jazz Scene Magazine JON MAYER TRIO DO IT LIKE THIS (A-Records / AL 73129) From the first note of this fine CD it's clear that as a pianist Jon Mayer's technique and sensibilities were forged within the great tradition of his acknowledged influences - chiefly, Wynton Kelly, Red Garland, and Kenny Barron. At the same time Mayer cannot be pigeonholed easily. He can show the drive of Kelly and the gloss of Garland, yes, but after all, Mayer himself was recording in the Fifties with John Coltrane and Jackie McLean, so he is more of a colleague than a disciple of those two great pianists; and his own unique voice is clear throughout this disc. On this disc are four Mayer originals, one by Watts, and four by others, including the standards "If I Should Lose You" and "Like Someone in Love," plus Horace Silver's wonderful "Out of the Night Came You." Victor Feldman's "Azul Serape" kicks it all off brightly, displaying Mayer's fleetness and fluency and the carefree simpatico he enjoys with bassist Bob Maize and drummer Harold Mason. The only problem is that with Mayer in mid-flight, this track fades out abruptly. ("Live music is best - bumper stickers should be issued." -Neil Young) Monster tenorman Ernie Watts appears on the scene for his own "Lonely Hearts," giving Mayer a chance to demonstrate his generosity and sensitivity as an accompanist. He allows Watts to take center stage and provides a low-key palette for the reedman to stretch out a bit. Mayer's own stretching comes on his originals: the smoky "Shari's Bolero," where Watts shows his gentle side, includes a tremendous solo by Mayer. Focused on the right hand and returning here and there to hornlike lines, Mayer paints a picture of smoldering passion with effortlessness and surety. "Randy's Tune," on the other hand, jumps out with a recurring three-note left-hand power figure that recalls Mal Waldron; Mayer quickly weaves in more genial material, but this one is still an engaging example of his high-speed mastery - was it playing like this that made Trane see in Mayer something of what he ultimately found in McCoy Tyner? Or perhaps it was the searching inventiveness and uncompromising beauty of Mayer's darker-edged "Ballad for Trane," a piece that only slightly recalls Coltrane or Tyner audibly, but which pays them the tribute of emotional depth, shifting moods and unsparing honesty. Mayer is clearly a top-flight pianist whose "Rip Van Winkle" reappearance after a long silence is welcome for a number of reasons: his perseverance is inspiring, his piano playing is cheering, his music is great. Recommended. by Robert Spencer / All About Jazz JON MAYER TRIO DO IT LIKE THIS (A-Records / AL 73129) From the first note of this fine CD it's clear that as a pianist Jon Mayer's technique and sensibilities were forged within the great tradition of his acknowledged influences - chiefly, Wynton Kelly, Red Garland, and Kenny Barron. At the same time Mayer cannot be pigeonholed easily. He can show the drive of Kelly and the gloss of Garland, yes, but after all, Mayer himself was recording in the Fifties with John Coltrane and Jackie McLean, so he is more of a colleague than a disciple of those two great pianists; and his own unique voice is clear throughout this disc. On this disc are four Mayer originals, one by Watts, and four by others, including the standards "If I Should Lose You" and "Like Someone in Love," plus Horace Silver's wonderful "Out of the Night Came You." Victor Feldman's "Azul Serape" kicks it all off brightly, displaying Mayer's fleetness and fluency and the carefree simpatico he enjoys with bassist Bob Maize and drummer Harold Mason. The only problem is that with Mayer in mid-flight, this track fades out abruptly. ("Live music is best - bumper stickers should be issued." -Neil Young) Monster tenorman Ernie Watts appears on the scene for his own "Lonely Hearts," giving Mayer a chance to demonstrate his generosity and sensitivity as an accompanist. He allows Watts to take center stage and provides a low-key palette for the reedman to stretch out a bit. Mayer's own stretching comes on his originals: the smoky "Shari's Bolero," where Watts shows his gentle side, includes a tremendous solo by Mayer. Focused on the right hand and returning here and there to hornlike lines, Mayer paints a picture of smoldering passion with effortlessness and surety. "Randy's Tune," on the other hand, jumps out with a recurring three-note left-hand power figure that recalls Mal Waldron; Mayer quickly weaves in more genial material, but this one is still an engaging example of his high-speed mastery - was it playing like this that made Trane see in Mayer something of what he ultimately found in McCoy Tyner? Or perhaps it was the searching inventiveness and uncompromising beauty of Mayer's darker-edged "Ballad for Trane," a piece that only slightly recalls Coltrane or Tyner audibly, but which pays them the tribute of emotional depth, shifting moods and unsparing honesty. Mayer is clearly a top-flight pianist whose "Rip Van Winkle" reappearance after a long silence is welcome for a number of reasons: his perseverance is inspiring, his piano playing is cheering, his music is great. Recommended. by Robert Spencer / All About Jazz Jon Mayer Trio Round up the Usual Suspects Pull-2240 Jon Mayer - piano Ron Carter - bass Billy Higgins - drums 1.Soul Eyes 2.Never Let Me Go 3.Red Top 4.When I Fall In Love 5.Round Up The Usual Suspects 6.Because I Love You 7.This Is All I Ask 8.Speak Low 9.Nica's Tempo 10.This Heart of Min CD REVIEW JON MAYER TRIO Round Up The Usual Suspects (Pullen Music / PULL-2240) It seems strange considering his talent and accomplishments that pianist Jon Mayer is not better-known. He recorded with Jackie McLean and John Coltrane.during 1957-58, played in Paris with Chet Baker, later performed regularly with the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis big band, Sarah Vaughan and the Manhattan Transfer (among others) and recently has been playing with Les McCann's Magic Band. Now finally Mayer has gotten the opportunity to record as a leader. For this session, the hard bop-based pianist enlisted a pair of notable players to complete his trio: bassist Ron Carter and drummer Billy Higgins. Mayer performs his original title tune (a medium- tempo blues) plus Tom Harrell's "Because I Love You" and eight superior standards. the interplay between musicians is quite impressive, the music always swings (even on the slower tempos) and Mayer holds his own with his famous sidemen on a set including such tunes as "Soul Eyes," "When I Fall In Love" and ;'Speak Low." This is an impressive effort, making one look forward to Jon Mayer's future projects. by Scott Yan

Location Los Angeles, CA - USA

Copyright notice. All material on MP3.com is protected by copyright law and by international treaties. You may download this material and make reasonable number of copies of this material only for your own personal use. You may not otherwise reproduce, distribute, publicly perform, publicly display, or create derivative works of this material, unless authorized by the appropriate copyright owner(s).