ArtistInfo

Tina May
Sings The Ray Bryant Songbook

Album 2006 on 33 Records label
Jazz (Easy Listening)

TINA MAY - A Serious Case of Paranoia Tina May has long been hailed as one the UK's premier vocalists. With a list of accolades as long as your arm, and an impressive discography that stretches back as far as the early nineties May has toured and recorded with some of the top names in British and European jazz. As one would expect with an artist of her stature, the singer has refused to stand still, and whether performing standards with her little big band (Divas and My Kinda Love for Hep), in a more intimate duo pianists Nikki Iles (Change Of Sky) and Enrico Pieranunzi (Home Is Where The heart Is) or top flight American's , tenor saxophonist Scott Hamilton (I'll Take Romance) and the legendary Ray Bryant on Tina May sings the Ray Bryant Song Book there is always a sense of a musician looking to push themselves, yet who also has the ability to rise to the occasion producing work that is utterly compelling. Pick out any of Tina's recordings and you can hear how she has developed as a musician, but equally remarkably all have stood the test of time and the debut album sounds as good today as did more than twenty five years ago. Perhaps part of this consistency is Tina's instinct to retain a core group of musicians whose service she can call on. Nikki Iles has been a constant companion, as have saxophonists Stan Sulzmann, Frank Griffiths and Tony Coe and importantly another pianist, Andy Lutter with whom Tina has recorded her latest album Café Paranoia. "The new album is a long awaited collaboration, explains Tina. "Pianist and composer, Andy Lutter and I first met and worked together at the legendary Nacht Café in Munich back in 1991. It was a great week playing at this wonderful late-night gig for a week", she reminisces. "After that ' Bop til you Drop', with Andy's composition and my lyrics) was written. Originally an instrumental called 'Bop People') it was dedicated to the clientèle of the Nacht Café - seriously groovy people! Picture "Since then, Andy and I have worked a lot together which is always a joy for me. We started to collaborate regularly and we realised we had many shared musical heroes and heroines in Jazz. We soon discovered that the most important one to both of us was Mark Murphy!! Andy had known him and worked with him in Germany almost every summer for about 25 years or so, and they collaborated together with Andy setting Mark's jazz Haikus to music." Tina's passion for this wonderful recording in conveyed to fine effect in the music recorded, and in the way she talks about Mark Murphy, and her musical accomplice, Andy Lutter. "We both love Mark Murphy as an artist, lyricist, poet and witty man - with that inimitable voice and expression" she enthuses. "Andy asked me to come to Munich and record Café Paranoia - recording a combination of Mark's writings and our own. Two tracks were recorded live at the Bayerische Rundfunk concert venue in Munich and were enthusiastically received." Pausing for thought, Tina adds "I love this project. We were both channeling Mark' s inventive writing - sometimes humorous, sometimes very poignant and touching. Our own songs included ' Bop til you Drop' as I wanted to record it with the full band piano, double bass and drums. I am really happy to have finally recorded this with Andy, who is such a great tunesmith. All our songs are stories. I learnt a lot about this from Mark Murphy. He was a great story teller, the best. We have tried to capture this in our own writing, and the three songs penned by Andy and myself all have a story to tell. 'New York Skyline' is about a trip to New York for the first time, while 'After A Year' is dedicated to William Turner, the painter and tells of re- capturing inspiration to paint again after a year long block. 'Aiming at the Moon is a very groovetastic love song - Mark would have smiled.... " Once again Tina pauses as if gathering her thoughts, adding "Mark did get to hear and enjoy our recording of his Haikus. We had his blessing, so to speak. I personally think the Haikus are wonderful! I love 'Planet formerly known as moon'. ' Dance Slowly 'is almost hypnotic and very atmospheric and dreamy. The Haikus on this album all describe the rich and varied human experience - Laughter, Tears, Paranoia, Absurdity, Fear, Love..... It's all there in Café Paranoia." And of future plans Tina says "We will be touring the music later in the year 2017/2018.... more music to follow from Tina May and Andy Lutter!!"

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