The term “legend” is tossed around loosely these days, but there are some folks who deserve the appellation.
I had the great pleasure of seeing and hearing one perform last week.
Singer Marilyn Maye has been part of the local music scene for decades but she continues to defy the clock, and the inexorable march of time. Age has not diminished her immense talent or her equally immense charm. She wowed the New York critics not long ago and is returning to the Big Apple for appearances this fall.
To watch Marilyn perform is to watch that rarest of entertainers—an original. It also reminds us of the great gift of talent some, but not most, people receive.
Talent can be developed and refined, but it can’t be taught.
There’s no Marilyn Maye 101. Talent is either there or is not. Marilyn’s has been evident from the outset.
On stage these days, she’s like a very hip grandma whose contemporary ad-libs are made possible by years of experience.
She kids herself and her audience. But she doesn’t kid about her vocalizing. When the patter stops and the music starts, Marilyn Maye again becomes the consummate nightclub singer whose repertoire runs the gamut from Broadway to Birdland.
She tells her audience she has no plans to quit singing, a comment that engenders sustained and sincere applause.
Marilyn Maye’s vocal skills and stage presence are presents that keep on giving.