Blue Engine Records, the in-house record label of Jazz at Lincoln Center, is proud to release The Magic of Marilyn Maye: Live at Jazz at Lincoln Center. Marking the first album release in a decade from the renowned vocalist, actress, director, and arranger, this collection spotlights some of Marilyn Maye’s most unforgettable performances on Jazz at Lincoln Center’s stages over the years. The Magic of Marilyn Maye: Live at Jazz at Lincoln Center will be available on all major streaming platforms on January 16, 2026; the first single “Mercer Medley” is streaming on all digital platforms now.
For more information and to pre-save the album, visit jazz.org/marilyn. A release date for the physical album will be announced at a later time.
Recorded across all of Jazz at Lincoln Center’s stages—Rose Theater, The Appel Room, and Dizzy’s Club—The Magic of Marilyn Maye: Live at Jazz at Lincoln Center captures the full breadth of Maye’s artistic command in spaces that have become a second home to her. Produced by Lisa Schiff, Jazz at Lincoln Center Chair Emeritus, the album features collaborations with top-notch performers including the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, with whom Maye delivers a show-stopping medley of Johnny Mercer tunes.
A favorite of both Ella Fitzgerald’s and Johnny Carson’s, Maye has been enchanting audiences for an extraordinary eight decades with her boundless energy, pristine delivery, and witty interpretations of the American Songbook. Dubbed the “Queen of Cabaret,” “Medley Maye,” and “Super Singer,” Maye’s artistry shines anew on her first release in years, which stands as a joyful testament to her unerring superpower: making listeners feel.
Maye’s professional singing career began at age nine, when she won a 13-week engagement on WIBW-FM in Topeka, KS. From there, her star continued to ascend. During an extraordinary 11-year run at the Colony in Kansas City, she caught the attention of Steve Allen, who introduced her to national television audiences through numerous appearances on his show. Those performances ultimately led to her recording contract with RCA.
Maye went on to appear 76 times on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson—the all-time record for a singer. Her place in American music history was further cemented when the Arts Council of the Smithsonian Institution selected her recording of “Too Late Now” for inclusion in its collection The 110 Best American Compositions of the Twentieth Century.
“What’s extraordinary about Marilyn is that her artistry hasn’t dimmed,” said Mo Rocca, CBS National Correspondent, during a 2021 CBS Sunday Morning segment. “She performs with the same power, clarity, and joy that first captivated national audiences decades ago.”
The release of The Magic of Marilyn Maye continues the milestone 10th anniversary celebration of Blue Engine Records. In 2015, Jazz at Lincoln Center launched the label to release new studio and live recordings by the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis. Since then, it has released works by both the most celebrated musicians in modern jazz and emerging artists as well as previously unreleased material from Jazz at Lincoln Center’s vast archives spanning nearly 40 years. The first Blue Engine title—Live in Cuba, recorded by the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis—was released on August 21, 2015. Blue Engine also has released archival recordings, including Betty Carter’s The Music Never Stops (March 2019) and Roy Hargrove’s The Love Suite: In Mahogany (October 2023) from the organization’s performance history.
TRACK LISTING
1. Mercer Medley (Day In, Day Out / Too Marvelous For Words / You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby / Jeepers Creepers / Come Rain or Come Shine)
2. Guess Who I Saw Today
3. Fifty Percent
4. Put on a Happy Face
5. Don’t Nobody Bring Me No Bad News
6. My Romance / Why Did I Choose You / That’s All
7. Lush Life
8. Ellington Medley (Do Nothing ‘Til You Hear From Me / Don’t Get Around Much Anymore / Satin Doll)
9. It’s Today
10. Secret of Life
11. Here’s to Life
PERSONNEL
TRACK 1
Marilyn Maye, vocals
The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra:
Wynton Marsalis, music director and trumpet
Kenny Rampton, trumpet
Marcus Printup, trumpet
Greg Gisbert, trumpet
Vincent Gardner, trombone
Chris Crenshaw, trombone
Elliot Mason, trombone
Sherman Irby, alto saxophone
Alexa Tarantino, alto saxophone
Victor Goines, tenor saxophone
Walter Blanding, tenor saxophone
Paul Nedzela, baritone saxophone
James Chirillo, guitar
Dan Nimmer, piano
Carlos Henriquez, bass
Jason Marsalis, drums
Recorded live at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Gala in Frederick P. Rose Hall on April 26, 2017.
TRACKS 2, 6, 7, 8
Marilyn Maye, vocals
Tedd Firth, music director and piano
Rod Fleeman, guitar
Tom Hubbard, bass
Eric Halvorson, drums
Tracks 2, 7, and 8: Recorded live at Dizzy’s on Sept. 18, 2016.
Track 6 recorded live at Dizzy’s on Feb. 18, 2018.
TRACKS 3, 4, 5, 9, 10, 11
Marilyn Maye, vocals
Tedd Firth, music director and piano
Bruce Harris, trumpet
Nich Marchione, trumpet
Mark McGowan, trumpet
Joe Magnarelli, trumpet
Wayne Goodman, trombone
Art Baron, trombone
Nate Mayland, trombone
James Borowski, trombone
Andy Farber, alto saxophone
Nathan Childers, alto saxophone
Dave Riekenberg, tenor saxophone
Brandon Wright, tenor saxophone
Kurt Bacher, baritone saxophone
Rod Fleeman, guitar
Tom Hubbard, bass
Mark McLean, drums
Recorded live in the Appel Room on Oct. 27 and 28, 2017.
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Recorded live at Jazz at Lincoln Center on Sept. 18, 2016, April 26, 2017 (Jazz at Lincoln Center Gala), Oct. 27-28, 2017, and Feb. 18, 2018