Musician · Singer · Artist · Storyteller
Maye
Cavallaro
Bay Area jazz contralto. A voice in the tradition of the great storytellers — Carmen McRae, Billie Holiday, Bessie Smith — entirely her own.
Musician · Singer · Artist · Storyteller
Bay Area jazz contralto. A voice in the tradition of the great storytellers — Carmen McRae, Billie Holiday, Bessie Smith — entirely her own.
"A sultry contralto loaded with inflections reminiscent of Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday and Mahalia Jackson — yet very much her own."
— San Francisco Chronicle
Over the course of her career, Maye assembled a serious library of materials for jazz singers — backing tracks, listening exercises, lead sheet paper, practice worksheets, repertoire guides, and articles on craft from some of the finest musicians and writers in the field. It's all collected here, organized by topic, and available to anyone who wants to use it.
Maye's teaching philosophy and what to expect from working with her one-on-one.
Read More → Downloads & PracticeWorksheets, the 100 standards list, practice journals, lead sheet paper, and Maye's book on jazz singing.
Browse Tools → Ear Training & Backing TracksTwenty-four groove tracks, curated listening exercises, and three full lessons with audio and PDF.
Enter Listening Room → Articles & VideoArticles on jazz craft, performance, and musicianship, plus curated video of the singers worth studying.
Read & Watch →Maye Cavallaro is a Bay Area jazz contralto whose recordings on Redhead Records span two decades — from her debut Come What Maye in 1982 through Hearts in 2003, featuring guitarist Mimi Fox, saxophonist Paul McCandless, and percussionist Ian Dogole.
She has performed at venues throughout the Bay Area and taught jazz vocal at workshops and in private studios for decades — her students have gone on to perform professionally across the country.
"A sultry contralto loaded with inflections reminiscent of Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday and Mahalia Jackson — yet very much her own."
— San Francisco Chronicle
"A masterful jazz vocalist whose interpretive gifts bring fresh meaning to the standards she inhabits."
— JazzTimes
"Her voice is its own instrument — a contralto that can conjure loss, longing, and joy in the space of a single phrase."
— Town & Country
