Creative, well-traveled, original jazz; blues to ballads, to uptempo, to Latin, with a few odd meter tunes.

9 MP3 Songs
JAZZ: Traditional Jazz Combo, JAZZ: Bebop



Details:
VIRGINIA MAYHEW

âFour Starsâ¦A fresh, intelligent, polished playerâ¦
Virginia Mayhew, remember her name.â
Downbeat

For the past 17 years, saxophonist-composer-arranger VIRGINIA MAYHEW has been an active participant in the New York jazz scene. A native of San Francisco, Virginia came to New York in 1987, where she enrolled in the New School's Jazz Performance program, and was awarded its Zoot Sims Memorial Scholarship.


Since her arrival, Virginia has worked with such renowned artists as Norman Simmons, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Lew Tabakin, Joe Williams, Leon Parker, Clark Terry, Terry Gibbs, Kenny Barron, Chico O'Farrill, and many others. She has appeared in most of the city's jazz venues, including the Blue Note, the Village Vanguard, the Village Gate, Sweet Basil, Fat Tuesday's, Birdland, Carnegie Hall, the Jazz Standard, Lincoln Center, and Town Hall, as well as performing throughout the United States, Europe, the Newly Independent States, the Caribbean,Alaska, Australia, and Bermuda.

Virginia has performed at many jazz festivals as a leader, including the Monterey Jazz Festival, the JVC Jazz Festival, the Floating Jazz Festival, he Verizon Jazz Festival, the Mary Lou Williams Jazz Festival at the Kennedy Center, the San Francisco Jazz Festival, the San Jose Jazz Festival, the East Coast Jazz Festival, the Panasonic Jazz Festival, the Guinness Cork (Ireland) Jazz Festival, the Verizon Jazz Festival and other smaller festivals.

Virginia has also traveled to the Newly Independent States (formerly the USSR) as a Jazz Ambassador for the US State Department.

In addition, Virginia has established her credentials in the field of jazz education, both as a teacher of private students, as faculty at numerous jazz camps, and as an experienced clinician. Her quartet performed at the 2002 IAJE Conference to rave reviews.


For several years, Virginia worked with veteran trombonist Al Grey. She is featured on his 1992 release, FAB (Capri), and contributed several arrangements to his 1995 CD, âCenterpieceâ (Telarc). Her arrangements were also performed during the âBattle Royale: Trombones and Alto Saxophonesâ concert, which was part of the 1994 Jazz At Lincoln Center.

Virginia's debut recording as a leader, âNini Greenâ, on the Chiaroscuro label, received rave reviews from all corners of the jazz world. On this 1997 release, she is joined by long-time collaborators Ingrid Jensen, Harvie Swartz, Adam Cruz, and Leon Parker, as well as master pianist, Kenny Barron. âNini Greenâ was chosen âBest New Release of 1998â by both Cadence and JAZZIZ magazines, and was awarded four stars by Downbeat.


Virginia's new release, âNo Wallsâ on the Foxhaven label, has also been gathering rave reviews, and getting a lot of airplay. The personnel is very similar to that of âNini Green." It features Kenny Barron, Ingrid Jensen and Harvie Swartz, with new-comer Allison Miller on drums and Adam Cruz on percussion. âNo Wallsâ was chosen Critics Pick 200l by JAZZIZ magazine, and one of the âTop Ten of 2001â by Cadence Magazine.


In October 2002, Virginia recorded a new CD with her piano-less quartet featuring Ingrid Jensen, Harvie S (formerly Harvie Swartz), and Allison Miller. The quartet has toured several times, as well as performing at the New York City Verizon Jazz Festival, opening for Kenny Garrett, among others. The Quartet has a very âfreshâ sound, and people really respond to it. A lot of rhythm and feeling. This is a real band! The CD will be out as soon as possible.

DISCOGRAPHY:

CDs as a leader:

âIt's About Timeâ (Philology) The Virginia Mayhew/Rebecca Franks Group
âNini Greenâ (Chiaroscuro) Virginia Mayhew Group
âNo Wallsâ (Foxhaven) Virginia Mayhew Group
âUntitledâ 2002 Virginia Mayhew Group

CDs as a sideperson:

âLadybirdâ - Sahib Shihab and Lodi Carr

âFABâ (Telarc) - Al Grey

âCenterpieceâ - Al Grey (arrangements only)

âNo Man's Bandâ - DIVA Big Band

âLeave It To DIVAâ - DIVA Big Band

âLive At The Garageâ The Howard Williams Big Band

âThe Jazz Nativityâ - (all-star Christmas extravaganza featuring Tito Puente, Lionel Hampton, Clark Terry, Jimmy Slyde, Dave Brubeck, Slide Hampton, etc.)

âDeadlines and Commitmentsâ - The Ursel Schlicht/Tony Romano Group

âIntersectâ - Sharp Five Group

QUOTE SHEET

(NO WALLS was chosen one of the Top Ten CDs of the Year by
JAZZIZ MAGAZINE and CADENCE MAGAZINE)

Four Starsâ¦a fresh, intelligent, polished playerâ¦she has crafted a
beautifully paced, balanced albumâ¦Virginia Mayhew, remember her name.â
Thomas Conrad, DOWNBEAT

âVirginia Mayhew has a tenor saxophone sound so big that it had me wondering if she was born in Texas. But there's a New York sophistication to that Texas Tenor demeanor, that allows for all sorts of subtletiesâ¦No Walls is a fabulous gem of an album.â
Larry Nai, JAZZ REVIEW.COM

âA real breakthrough for her as a leader and saxophonistâ¦Virginia Mayhew
has developed a compelling edge of her own and her steady time sees
her through the risks that make a jazz solo worth following.â
Gary Giddins, VILLAGE VOICE

ââ¦my favorite disc of the young centuryâ¦Get this one now, you can thank me later.â
Neil Tesser, JAZZIZ

âA full tone, poised and soulful.â Mike Joyce, WASHINGTON POST

âA musician's musician, Virginia Mayhew is capable of many rolesâ¦in terms of straight-ahead tenor blowing, this is about as good as it gets.â
Tim Price, SAXOPHONE JOURNAL

ââ¦unabashedly warm tone and an expressive gift for melodic inventionâ¦confident, even aggressively muscular, tenor saxophone playing, delivered with a powerful
rhythmic drive and first-rate technical facilityâ
Don Heckman, L.A. TIMES

ââ¦Might very well be one of the future greats of the tenorâ¦â
Scott Yanow, L.A. Jazz Scene

âThe horns â and Mayhew's fine compositions in a full range of bop idioms âÂÂ
are the stars of this session, and they sparkle throughout.â
Greg Robinson, JAZZTIMES

âVirginia Mayhew and Ingrid Jensen bring fresh light to a traditional formatâ¦her veteran tenor sound, rich in overtones, offers a lyrical approach suited for the modern mainstream.â
Jim Santella, CADENCE MAGAZINE

âWe are listening to not only a very gifted musician but also a superb writerâ¦as a musician, bandleader and composer there is a lot of originality to Virginia Mayhewâ¦a lot of substance and energy to her musicâ¦.Virginia is a jazz forceâ¦â
Peter La Barbara, THE JAZZ ZINE

ââ¦her tenor tone â¦(is) attractive, compelling and full of energy and life. In addition Mayhew is an articulate composer; her music makes wonderful melodic, harmonic and common sense.
J. Robert Brangonier, 52nd STREET.COM
âWith No Walls, Mayhew proves again that as a performer, composer and band leader, she's approaching the upper echelon of jazz artists. Wel worth checking out.â
Joel Roberts, ALLABOUTJAZZ.COM

âSimply the best straight-ahead jazz combo I've heard since the '60sâ
Allen McQuaid, FRESHMAN FANS WORLDWIDE

âWhile some compare her sound to Dexter Gordon's, she has a sound of her own. She can be calm and lyrical on the ballads; she can also shake the place upâ¦â
Joe Luciano, THE GREEN MOUNTAIN JAZZ MESSENGER

Virginia Mayhew can do it all â swing, soar, bop, arrange, compose, improvise, and free-form.â
Jack Burke, WAXWORKS

Mayhew's style is robust, with both a rich tone and a no-nonsense approachâ¦
straight-ahead and boppish.â
STEREO REVIEW

âA first rate recordâ¦wholeheartedly recommended. Mayhew is a composer of
distinct promiseâ¦of wit, flair and considerable range.â
Scott Yanow, L.A. JAZZ SCENE

âMayhew's playing is like a polished stone, gorgeous and colorful.
Never slick and vacuous.â
John Doll, JAZZ REVIEW

âAn exemplary recording of post-1950's jazz, made anew for the millenniumâ¦every note has a freshness and an allure that shows that looking backward can generate something new.â
Jules Epstein, JAZZMATAZZ

ââ¦An auspicious sophmore release, which captures (her) sheer vitalityâ¦
while also showcasing her wares as a writer.â
James Lampertta, THE SARATOGIAN

âVirginia Mayhew's new album, No Walls, should establish her once and for all.â
S.D. Feeney, FACE MAGAZINE

ââ¦strong, touching and inspiringâ¦explodes with musical intensity and beautyâ¦a great composer, saxophonist and bandleader..â Tim Price, SAXOPHONE JOURNAL

âSwingingâ¦a solid mainstreamer whose tenor sound recalls Dexter Gordon's big tone.â
Dave Burns, JAZZTIMES

âA higly auspicious debutâ¦imaginative mainstream playing on both alto and tenor saxophonesâ¦Her compositions are notable for their melodies. She is well worth hearing.â
David Griffiths, South Wales Evening Post

âMayhew shows mastery of all her horns, and of the idiomâ¦an impressive debut.â
David Dupo, CADENCE MAGAZINE

âThe sophistication of the material, the high level of execution, lack of predictability in the solos, and the company Mayhew keepsâ¦make this an exceptional first album.â
Kirk Silsbee, JAZZIZ