| Jazz |
Michael Mayo Expands Fly With a Deluxe Edition That Soars.
In 2021, vocalist Michael Mayo emerged as one of jazz’s freshest new voices with Bones, a debut album that combined inventiveness, rhythmic vitality and an easy charm. Its standout track, “You and You,” quickly ricocheted across the internet, introducing listeners to an artist equally at ease with tradition and innovation.
Mayo’s 2024 follow-up, Fly, didn’t quite match the groundbreaking spark of his debut, but it remained a superb album, a work that confirmed him as more than a one-record wonder.
Now comes a Deluxe Edition of Fly, released digitally on Mack Avenue Records. The expanded version adds six newly orchestrated tracks, including large-ensemble reimaginings that deepen and broaden Mayo’s sound world.
The centerpiece is a radiant new take on John Coltrane’s “Giant Steps.” “It’s always been one of my favorite tunes,” Mayo says. “I first heard it at 14, and I knew right then I wanted to improvise over those changes. It took me years of nonstop practice to get comfortable. This version started after I’d moved to New York with nothing but a suitcase, a mic, and a looper pedal. I used what I had, and it turned into this new single.”
The new arrangements, most notably with the Norrbotten Big Band under Calle Rasmusson, bring a full, cinematic dimension to Mayo’s work. Pieces like the title track Fly bloom with orchestral color, while Giant Steps radiates the mixture of virtuosity and playfulness that has made Mayo such a singular voice in contemporary jazz.
For jazz purists, the absence of a CD or vinyl release will feel like a missed opportunity; many listeners still prize the fidelity and permanence of physical formats. But with only six new tracks added, the Deluxe Edition remains an affordable entry point, and a worthy expansion of one of today’s most distinctive jazz talents.
Thierry De Clemensat
Member at Jazz Journalists Association
USA correspondent for Paris-Move and ABS magazine
Editor in chief – Bayou Blue Radio, Bayou Blue News
PARIS-MOVE, September 1st 2025
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Michael Mayo: Lead Vocals (All Tracks), Backing Vocals (All Tracks except 8, 9, 10), Chorale (Track 4), Claps (5), Shaker (6), Snaps (6), Vocal Percussion (6), Guitar (7)
Shai Maestro: Piano (All except 6), Rhodes (1, 2, 4, 11), Synthesizer (2, 5, 7, 11), Snaps (2), Claps (5)
Linda May Han Oh: Upright Bass (All except 2, 6, 7, 11), Electric Bass (2, 7, 11), Claps (5)
Nate Smith: Drums (All except 6, 11), Shaker (5), Tambourine (5, 10), Snaps (2, 10), Claps (5), Hand Drums (10), Clap Stack (10)
Scott Mayo: Backing Vocals (5), Alto Saxophone (5), Soprano Saxophone (11)
Valerie Pinkston: Backing Vocals (5)
Norrbotten Big Band • Conducted By Calle Rasmusson
Saxophones & Woodwinds: Johan Christoffersson, Janne Thelin, Mats Garberg, Robert Nordmark, Per Moberg
Trumpets: Bo Strandberg, Magnus Ekholm, Dan Johansson, Jacek Onuszkiewicz
Trombones: Michał Tomaszczyk, Kristian Persson, Karin Hammar, Björn Hängsel
Piano/Keyboards: Britta Virves, Daniel Karlsson
Bass: Petter Olofsson
Drums: Sebastian Ågren
Percussion: Thomas de Paula Eby
Produced by: Michael Mayo
Co-produced by: Tom Korkidis
Mixed and Recorded at The Bunker Studio • Brooklyn, NY
Mixing and Recording Engineer: John Davis
Mastered at Harold LaRue Mastering • Houston, TX
Mastering Engineer: Harold LaRue
Big Band
Produced by: Calle Rasmusson
Session Producer: Johan Rizell
Recorded at IMRSV Studios • Stockholm • 2024
Recording and Mixing Engineer: Willem Bleeker
Mastering Engineer: William Birgersson
Video: Marcus Lundgren Production
℗© 2024, 2025 Mack Avenue Records II, LLC. Marketed and distributed worldwide by Artistry Music.