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Published December 2014
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TINA MAY - My Kinda Diva
With the release of her debut album Never Let Me Go on 33 Records back in 1991, it was immediately apparent that Tina had that special something that makes her standout from the crowd. The intervening years have seen her continue to develop and refine her craft, and now boasts a substantial discography along with an international reputation having worked with American piano giant, Ray Bryant.
I catch up with Tina as she sees the release of her latest album, My Kinda Love on the Hep label, which continues where her previous album, Divas left off, and makes for a superb series. So was this a conscious decision? “Absolutely” agrees Tina, “it’s the ‘Chapter Two’ album – with that extra dimension of strings!”
One of the highpoints of the album is Tina’s reworking of ‘Lazy Afternoon’ that Tina had previously recorded on her aforementioned debut Never Let Me Go so why did you choose to revisit this particular song? “Having worked with the arranger John Jansson previously on two concerts with strings - I suggested the weaving of a ‘Satie’ piece with it” she says. “I love the French music of that period. John’s arrangement is very painterly and atmospheric, and this is the result. Also, ‘Lazy Afternoon’ is a favourite of mine so I really wanted to include it in the album.”
I catch up with Tina as she sees the release of her latest album, My Kinda Love on the Hep label, which continues where her previous album, Divas left off, and makes for a superb series. So was this a conscious decision? “Absolutely” agrees Tina, “it’s the ‘Chapter Two’ album – with that extra dimension of strings!”
One of the highpoints of the album is Tina’s reworking of ‘Lazy Afternoon’ that Tina had previously recorded on her aforementioned debut Never Let Me Go so why did you choose to revisit this particular song? “Having worked with the arranger John Jansson previously on two concerts with strings - I suggested the weaving of a ‘Satie’ piece with it” she says. “I love the French music of that period. John’s arrangement is very painterly and atmospheric, and this is the result. Also, ‘Lazy Afternoon’ is a favourite of mine so I really wanted to include it in the album.”
At times the arrangements on My Kinda Love are full enough sound like a big band I suggest, and it would be great to hear you in that context. Is a big band recording something that you would like to do? “Sure! I have already sung three tracks on the Frank Griffith big band recording on Hep – but I think a smaller band will work more – it’s just economics, I’m afraid... I love singing with big bands and have quite a pad of arrangements already – including one of the Ray Bryant Songbook ‘Swinging My Life Away’”.
And talking of songbooks, you have a particular affinity with the Great American Songbook, so how did you select the songs for the album? After some consideration, Tina says “Tricky – narrowing it down...I need to have a relationship with a song, an affinity with it. So, for instance, ‘A Sunday Kind of Love’ I have always wanted to record. I just love the sentiment of the lyric and the melody is very catchy. I want all the colours, moods of love and life in my recordings – and that includes humour – as in ‘An Occasional Man’ and ‘S’posin’ – my duet with Winston Clifford – a fab drummer and singer.”
As well as the current album and your work with Frank (Griffith) you have a long term working relationship with pianist Nikki Iles, having recorded several albums together. Can you tell us how this partnership began and do have further plans to record? “I love singing with Nikki” she enthuses. “We are kindred spirits, and we have lots of gigs in the book for next year with a duo tour planned for next autumn in Scotland and beyond... She’s just great. We started performing together in Yorkshire back in 1996 – I was guesting with her trio in Halifax. It was an immediate musical affinity. So we kept working and later recorded our duet in 1998 Change of Sky. Since then we have enjoyed many tours, festivals, including a trip to Tokyo, Ginza Jazz Festival together with Karen Sharp. More to come... she’s also a dear friend!”
Returning to the Great American Songbook, you had the opportunity to record some of these wonderful songs with American piano giant, Ray Brant. Tell us a little about this recording? “It was a wonderful experience to record with Ray Bryant, and to sing those great arrangements by Don Sickler and work with the great Rudy Van Gelder in his famous studio. I had to keep pinching myself to check if it was all a dream” recalls Tina. “I was at the Club Lionel Hampton at the Meridien for a week with my Parisian Quintet (we recorded Live In Paris on 33Jazz label). Ray was playing at the Alliance jazz club. I had already recorded ‘One Fine Day’ (Cubana Chant) by Ray on a previous album. He knew my work a little (lyrics written to compositions by Bobby Watson, Nat Adderley...) and asked me if I’d like to write lyrics to his compositions.
Again, I had to pinch myself! and of course, said ‘Yes!’ He then put me in touch with his publisher – whom I met the following January in Long Beach, California. It rapidly developed from there, culminating in our lovely recording made at Rudy’s studio in Englewood Cliffs. It’s a swinging affair – and I am very proud of it. It also creates new material for other singers!”
And talking of songbooks, you have a particular affinity with the Great American Songbook, so how did you select the songs for the album? After some consideration, Tina says “Tricky – narrowing it down...I need to have a relationship with a song, an affinity with it. So, for instance, ‘A Sunday Kind of Love’ I have always wanted to record. I just love the sentiment of the lyric and the melody is very catchy. I want all the colours, moods of love and life in my recordings – and that includes humour – as in ‘An Occasional Man’ and ‘S’posin’ – my duet with Winston Clifford – a fab drummer and singer.”
As well as the current album and your work with Frank (Griffith) you have a long term working relationship with pianist Nikki Iles, having recorded several albums together. Can you tell us how this partnership began and do have further plans to record? “I love singing with Nikki” she enthuses. “We are kindred spirits, and we have lots of gigs in the book for next year with a duo tour planned for next autumn in Scotland and beyond... She’s just great. We started performing together in Yorkshire back in 1996 – I was guesting with her trio in Halifax. It was an immediate musical affinity. So we kept working and later recorded our duet in 1998 Change of Sky. Since then we have enjoyed many tours, festivals, including a trip to Tokyo, Ginza Jazz Festival together with Karen Sharp. More to come... she’s also a dear friend!”
Returning to the Great American Songbook, you had the opportunity to record some of these wonderful songs with American piano giant, Ray Brant. Tell us a little about this recording? “It was a wonderful experience to record with Ray Bryant, and to sing those great arrangements by Don Sickler and work with the great Rudy Van Gelder in his famous studio. I had to keep pinching myself to check if it was all a dream” recalls Tina. “I was at the Club Lionel Hampton at the Meridien for a week with my Parisian Quintet (we recorded Live In Paris on 33Jazz label). Ray was playing at the Alliance jazz club. I had already recorded ‘One Fine Day’ (Cubana Chant) by Ray on a previous album. He knew my work a little (lyrics written to compositions by Bobby Watson, Nat Adderley...) and asked me if I’d like to write lyrics to his compositions.
Again, I had to pinch myself! and of course, said ‘Yes!’ He then put me in touch with his publisher – whom I met the following January in Long Beach, California. It rapidly developed from there, culminating in our lovely recording made at Rudy’s studio in Englewood Cliffs. It’s a swinging affair – and I am very proud of it. It also creates new material for other singers!”
And if a pleasant trip down memory lane is momentarily the order of the day, I remind Tina that our association goes back a long time, when I had the pleasure of hearing her play in the local jazz club in Cardiff. What are her memories of those early days, and how do you think they prepared you for your move to London, and subsequent career? “Cardiff was a great place to be a student – culturally a lot was happening. Jed Williams put South Wales on the map with the founding of the Welsh Jazz Society and I got to see lots of great gigs. I sang with guitarist Dylan Fowler, often at Gibbs Club – which was a fab little jazz club run by Bob Jones, happy times. I got into jazz when I was a child and found that the Cardiff musicians were very welcoming and encouraging to me.”
You also spent some time in Paris, and still frequently sing in French? “Indeed I do. I love the French language, culture and music. I was in Paris as a student and sang regularly with Roger Guerin big band with Kenny Clark on drums . Patrick Villanueva was on piano – a young student, like myself. Also Renaud Garcia-Fons on double bass. Again, happy times. Also I worked with Dany Doriz, Georges Arvanitas, Marcel Zanini ... My album ’Piaf’ – Celebrating a Legend has been very well received. We are touring a lot next year with this band (Nikki Iles, Karen Street, Julie Walkington) as it will be her centenary year – she was born 1915.
So what about influences, and when you’re not busy working who do you listen to for pleasure? “So many artists and genres have influenced me” she says “and not always singers. Ellington, Francy Boland, Martial Solal, Fats Waller, Hot Club de France, Dexter Gordon, Carmen MacRae, Ella Fitzgerald, Chet Baker, Anita O’Day, Cleo Laine, John Dankworth, Edith Piaf, Jobim, Elis Regina, Les Double Six, Ray Charles ...– I adore all these musicians.”
And finally what about your future projects and plans? “I love to keep things fresh. There is a new album with the wonderful Enrico Pieranunzi - his music with my lyrics – out in the spring next year! I am also excited about a project exploring music inspired by a great lady - the Baroness Pannonica De Koenigwarter – the Jazz Baroness.
More work with strings, also Andy Lutter and I have collaborated with Mark Murphy poetry ‘Jazz Haikus’ plus other original songs that we have written together.
Finally – Dylan Fowler and I recorded a while back an album Troubadours - which we would like to tour sometime. All in all – lots to do!!”
You also spent some time in Paris, and still frequently sing in French? “Indeed I do. I love the French language, culture and music. I was in Paris as a student and sang regularly with Roger Guerin big band with Kenny Clark on drums . Patrick Villanueva was on piano – a young student, like myself. Also Renaud Garcia-Fons on double bass. Again, happy times. Also I worked with Dany Doriz, Georges Arvanitas, Marcel Zanini ... My album ’Piaf’ – Celebrating a Legend has been very well received. We are touring a lot next year with this band (Nikki Iles, Karen Street, Julie Walkington) as it will be her centenary year – she was born 1915.
So what about influences, and when you’re not busy working who do you listen to for pleasure? “So many artists and genres have influenced me” she says “and not always singers. Ellington, Francy Boland, Martial Solal, Fats Waller, Hot Club de France, Dexter Gordon, Carmen MacRae, Ella Fitzgerald, Chet Baker, Anita O’Day, Cleo Laine, John Dankworth, Edith Piaf, Jobim, Elis Regina, Les Double Six, Ray Charles ...– I adore all these musicians.”
And finally what about your future projects and plans? “I love to keep things fresh. There is a new album with the wonderful Enrico Pieranunzi - his music with my lyrics – out in the spring next year! I am also excited about a project exploring music inspired by a great lady - the Baroness Pannonica De Koenigwarter – the Jazz Baroness.
More work with strings, also Andy Lutter and I have collaborated with Mark Murphy poetry ‘Jazz Haikus’ plus other original songs that we have written together.
Finally – Dylan Fowler and I recorded a while back an album Troubadours - which we would like to tour sometime. All in all – lots to do!!”
For more information visit Tina's Website & HepJazz.com
To read our reviews of My Kinda Love & Divas, click on the album covers.
To read our reviews of My Kinda Love & Divas, click on the album covers.
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