"Female singer-songwriters and jazz, they are quickly settled on the basis of comparisons to Joni Mitchell and Norah Jones. The Canadian Mai-Liis is one of the few to pass the test.
On her debut she navigates perfectly between these two worlds. She wrote the lyrics herself, for the music she hired pianist Darin Clendenin. A winning combination ("Oh Well" is an instant standard) partly due to the carefully chosen accompanists with Clendenin's fixed rhythm section (bassist Clipper Anderson , drummer Mark Ivester ) and a number of guest musicians including saxophonist Cory Weeds, trumpet player Charlie Porter (his solo in "Fait Accompli" is an extension of the atmosphere in the theme song of "Bagdad Cafe") and accordionist David Lange (who can do everything). They color exactly where and how it should be. From melodic ballads to blues and samba with even a nod to Steely Dan and Kurt Weill.
After years of learning in local clubs and coffee shops, Mai-Liis deserves wider recognition. Mai-Liis On Life is the ideal calling card."
​
- Georges Tonla Briquet, Jazz'halo (Belgium)
"It has been my privilege to be a part of this musical journey with Liis. She has an ability to take life experiences familiar to all and tell them in a musically fresh and honest way, resulting in uniquely crafted songs brought to life by a great set of players"
​
- Greta Matassa
"If Elizabeth Gilbert wanted to be a jazzbo, the results might have been something like what we have here. Coming into her own after years of stops and starts, Mai-Liis isn't a thrush or a cabaret type mainly using jazz to give her voice a voice. It's jazz for women of a certain age that want to hear a voice that knows what they are thinking."
​
- Chris Spector, Midwest Record
"Vocalist and lyricist Mai-Liss delivers reflections on her experiences supported by a core of Darin Clendenin/p, Clipper Anderson/b and Mark Ivester/dr along with guests Brian Monroney/g, Charlie Portr/tp, Cory Weeds/as-ts and David Lange/acc. Mai-Liis has a world wise breathy tone to her voice, stark with her vibrato with Clendenin on “Sister Child” or slinky during “Number 9” while regretful with Lange’s accordion for “Oh Well”. A gospel tinged “To Whom It May Concern” has her raspily swaying with Weeds’ tenor while she gets breathy on the dreamy “Unicorns and Innocence”. Blue tones with Weeds produce “Carnage in Your Wake” and defiance teams with Porter on “Jilted Woman”. A lot of wrong choices put to various colors."
​
- George W. Harris, Jazz Weekly
By the time Canadian vocalist/composer Mai-Liis (my LEASE) recorded her debut recording Mai-Liis On Life (OA2 Records, 2021), it had taken her 30 years to become an overnight sensation—and she may be skeptical of that. Refreshing is the fact that there is not one jazz standard on either her debut or its follow-up, Kaleidoscope. That fact alone places Mai-Liis in a class by herself. As a songwriter, critics have compared her to Joni Mitchell, Norah Jones, and Leonard Cohen. they are just low-hanging fruit for writers. Mai-Liis is far more clever than these three, better approximating a Lorraine Feather or Dave Frishberg.
The disc opens with “Book,” a clever metaphor the singer has for a love interest, featuring the slippery open-bell trumpet of Charlie Porter buoyed by a lilting island-Brazilian vibe. But can Mai-Liis swing? Following the gentle ballad of “Wash Away The Wrong” comes the deceptive “What If I Met You Then,” a ballad in name only before slipping between 3 and 4 time. Susan Pascal provides a soft touch on vibraphone, adding to the airy, dream-like nature of the song. “New Year’s Ditty” is the casual stroll of a single woman wanting to be other, accented by Alexey Nikolaev’s tenor saxophone.
Mai-Liis gets her vamp on with “Elmo,” a quasi-blues as fresh as “…kid’s watching Elmo on her iPad.” Clipper Anderson, whose bass holds the tempo steady, issues a swinging solo before saxophonist Nikolaev’s. The singer pulls out the blues proper with “Daddy’s Gil Blues” propelled by the dual forces of pianist David Lee Joyner and bassist Anderson. Monroney hits every flatted-fifth blue note, issuing a stinging solo, drawing outside the lines of polite jazz. Mai-Liis sings with a muscular confidence that extends her commanding alto horizontally and vertically, revealing her composing and lyrics as novel and time worthy.
Mai-Liis On Life
Kaleidoscope
Vocalist Mai-Liis teams up with a core of David Lee Joyner-Darin Clendenin/p, Brian Monroney/g, Clipper Anderson/b, Mark Ivester/dr and a handful of cameo guests on this collection of originals. She’s got a sandied tone to her style, working well on the pretty and thoughtful “Book” and slinky with Alexey Nikolaev’s tenor on “New Year’s Ditty”. There’s a street savvy feel to her sauntering on the bluish “What If I Met You Then”, while she enunciates well to Monroney’s strut on “Daddy’s Girl Blues” The horns give an indie feel to “Spring Time” while the fingers snap on the world-wise “Elmo”. Observant vocals.
Kaleidoscope
By the time Canadian vocalist/composer Mai-Liis (my LEASE) recorded her debut recording Mai-Liis On Life (OA2 Records, 2021), it had taken her 30 years to become an overnight sensation—and she may be skeptical of that. Refreshing is the fact that there is not one jazz standard on either her debut or its follow-up, Kaleidoscope. That fact alone places Mai-Liis in a class by herself. As a songwriter, critics have compared her to Joni Mitchell, Norah Jones, and Leonard Cohen. they are just low-hanging fruit for writers. Mai-Liis is far more clever than these three, better approximating a Lorraine Feather or Dave Frishberg.
The disc opens with “Book,” a clever metaphor the singer has for a love interest, featuring the slippery open-bell trumpet of Charlie Porter buoyed by a lilting island-Brazilian vibe. But can Mai-Liis swing? Following the gentle ballad of “Wash Away The Wrong” comes the deceptive “What If I Met You Then,” a ballad in name only before slipping between 3 and 4 time. Susan Pascal provides a soft touch on vibraphone, adding to the airy, dream-like nature of the song. “New Year’s Ditty” is the casual stroll of a single woman wanting to be other, accented by Alexey Nikolaev’s tenor saxophone.
Mai-Liis gets her vamp on with “Elmo,” a quasi-blues as fresh as “…kid’s watching Elmo on her iPad.” Clipper Anderson, whose bass holds the tempo steady, issues a swinging solo before saxophonist Nikolaev’s. The singer pulls out the blues proper with “Daddy’s Gil Blues” propelled by the dual forces of pianist David Lee Joyner and bassist Anderson. Monroney hits every flatted-fifth blue note, issuing a stinging solo, drawing outside the lines of polite jazz. Mai-Liis sings with a muscular confidence that extends her commanding alto horizontally and vertically, revealing her composing and lyrics as novel and time worthy.
- C. Michael Bailey | Wild Mercury Rhythm
Vocalist Mai-Liis teams up with a core of David Lee Joyner-Darin Clendenin/p, Brian Monroney/g, Clipper Anderson/b, Mark Ivester/dr and a handful of cameo guests on this collection of originals. She’s got a sandied tone to her style, working well on the pretty and thoughtful “Book” and slinky with Alexey Nikolaev’s tenor on “New Year’s Ditty”. There’s a street savvy feel to her sauntering on the bluish “What If I Met You Then”, while she enunciates well to Monroney’s strut on “Daddy’s Girl Blues” The horns give an indie feel to “Spring Time” while the fingers snap on the world-wise “Elmo”. Observant vocals.
- George W. Harris | Jazz Weekly
Mai-Liis On Life
"Female singer-songwriters and jazz, they are quickly settled on the basis of comparisons to Joni Mitchell and Norah Jones. The Canadian Mai-Liis is one of the few to pass the test.
On her debut she navigates perfectly between these two worlds. She wrote the lyrics herself, for the music she hired pianist Darin Clendenin. A winning combination ("Oh Well" is an instant standard) partly due to the carefully chosen accompanists with Clendenin's fixed rhythm section (bassist Clipper Anderson , drummer Mark Ivester ) and a number of guest musicians including saxophonist Cory Weeds, trumpet player Charlie Porter (his solo in "Fait Accompli" is an extension of the atmosphere in the theme song of "Bagdad Cafe") and accordionist David Lange (who can do everything). They color exactly where and how it should be. From melodic ballads to blues and samba with even a nod to Steely Dan and Kurt Weill.
After years of learning in local clubs and coffee shops, Mai-Liis deserves wider recognition. Mai-Liis On Life is the ideal calling card."
​
- Georges Tonla Briquet, Jazz'halo (Belgium)
"It has been my privilege to be a part of this musical journey with Liis. She has an ability to take life experiences familiar to all and tell them in a musically fresh and honest way, resulting in uniquely crafted songs brought to life by a great set of players"
​
- Greta Matassa
"If Elizabeth Gilbert wanted to be a jazzbo, the results might have been something like what we have here. Coming into her own after years of stops and starts, Mai-Liis isn't a thrush or a cabaret type mainly using jazz to give her voice a voice. It's jazz for women of a certain age that want to hear a voice that knows what they are thinking."
​
- Chris Spector, Midwest Record
"Vocalist and lyricist Mai-Liss delivers reflections on her experiences supported by a core of Darin Clendenin/p, Clipper Anderson/b and Mark Ivester/dr along with guests Brian Monroney/g, Charlie Portr/tp, Cory Weeds/as-ts and David Lange/acc. Mai-Liis has a world wise breathy tone to her voice, stark with her vibrato with Clendenin on “Sister Child” or slinky during “Number 9” while regretful with Lange’s accordion for “Oh Well”. A gospel tinged “To Whom It May Concern” has her raspily swaying with Weeds’ tenor while she gets breathy on the dreamy “Unicorns and Innocence”. Blue tones with Weeds produce “Carnage in Your Wake” and defiance teams with Porter on “Jilted Woman”. A lot of wrong choices put to various colors."
​
- George W. Harris, Jazz Weekly