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Marilyn Maye set to perform at Carnegie Hall in New York

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Posted at 8:55 AM, Mar 24, 2023
and last updated 2023-03-24 13:16:41-04

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City jazz fans likely know the name Marilyn Maye.

The singer, with major ties to KC, will be 95 years old in just a couple of weeks.

But age is just a number. Maye's set to perform Friday night in front of a sold-out audience at Carnegie Hall in New York City, right in the middle of Women’s History Month.

KSHB 41 anchor Taylor Hemness spoke with Maye on the phone days before the performance while she was on her way to her rehearsal.

She says she's not a stranger to the venue.

"Once for Stephen Sondheim's birthday, a few years ago, and again for honoring Frank Loesser, the great composer — he wrote the music for 'Guys and Dolls,'" Maye said.

 But Friday, she's the feature act.

"There will be almost 90 musicians on stage with me, and we're doing an hour and a half, almost two-hour performance," Maye said. “I have so many people coming from various parts of the country. It's just amazing."

Maye spent many of her younger years in Topeka and Kansas City. In fact, she still has a home in the area.

"I can't cook, Taylor, so this is what I do,” Maye said. “And this is what I’ve done all my life since I was a little bitty girl. I'm very Midwestern. Kansas City has been great to me."

Maye still performs regularly, mostly in New York, saying her love affair with the audience has only grown.

"The audience is the star, I’m not the star,” Maye said. “It's a joy to look out in the audience and see those familiar faces who have been hearing me and coming wherever I work for years and years."

She says she's proud of the fact her voice is still "hanging in there." And not long after the show, she'll be presented with another lifetime achievement award.

“I received a lot of those in my 60s and my 70s and my 80s and now here again in the 90s," Maye joked.

Older fans may remember her from performances on "The Tonight Show" with Johnny Carson. Maye appeared 76 times, which is the record for singers on Carson's show.

COURTESY: Marilyn Maye, Kevin Alvey