Daphne Christina May (30 March 1961 – 26 March 2022), known professionally as Tina May, was an English

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

vocalist.

Early life and career

The younger of two daughters born to Harry May and Daphne E. Walton,"Tina May Obituary
''The Guardian''. April 10, 2022. Retrieved April 14, 2022. May lived in

Frampton-on-Severn Frampton on Severn is a village and civil parish in Gloucestershire, England. The population is 1,432. Geography The village is approximately south of Gloucester, at . It lies on the east bank of the River Severn, and on the west bank of the ...

when she was young and attended Stroud High School and later

Cheltenham Ladies' College Cheltenham Ladies' College (CLC) is a private schools in the United Kingdom, private boarding and day school for girls aged 11 or older in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. The school was established in 1853 to provide "a sound academic edu ...

. She played clarinet from an early age, before studying classical singing at Cheltenham. She began singing jazz while attending

Cardiff University Cardiff University () is a public research university in Cardiff, Wales. It was established in 1883 as the University College of South Wales and Monmouthshire and became a founding college of the University of Wales in 1893. It was renamed Unive ...

.Lacey, Hester (13 August 1995)
"How We Met: Rory Bremner and Tina May"
''The Independent''. p. 66. Retrieved 27 March 2022. May recorded numerous albums for 33 Jazz Records. She also worked with Tony Coe, Nikki Iles, Stan Sulzmann, Ray Bryant, Enrico Pieranunzi, Carr, Ian; Fairweather, Digby; Priestley, Brian (2004). ''The Rough Guide to Jazz''. Rough Guides. pp
517518
. Retrieved 13 April 2021. and with Ray Guntrip, on three albums, including her final studio outing, Mood In Blue, which was released in 2023.(see discography below). May also lectured and taught extensively; her employers included

Trinity College of Music Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance is a music, dance, and musical theatre conservatoire based in South East London. It was formed in 2005 as a merger of two older institutions – Trinity College of Music and Laban Dance Centre. Trini ...

, Leeds College of Music,

Birmingham Conservatoire Royal Birmingham Conservatoire is a music school, drama school and concert venue in Birmingham, England. It provides education in music, acting, and related disciplines up to postgraduate level. It is a centre for scholarly research and doct ...

, the

Royal Academy of Music The Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London, England, is one of the oldest music schools in the UK, founded in 1822 by John Fane and Nicolas-Charles Bochsa. It received its royal charter in 1830 from King George IV with the support of the firs ...

, the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, and the University of West London. In addition, she regularly attached workshops and masterclasses to her own tours.

Personal life

In 1989, May married Clark Tracey, with whom she recorded several albums in the 1990s. They later divorced and, at the time of her death, May's partner of roughly two and a half years was saxophonist Simon Spillett.Vacher, Peter (March 29, 2022)
"Tina May: 30/3/1961 – 26/3/2022"
''Jazzwise''. Retrieved March 29, 2022.Jazz in South Wales: Announcements
Facebook. March 27, 2022. "Last night I said goodbye to the wonderful woman who was my partner for the last two and a half years." Retrieved March 29, 2022.

Discography

As leader

* ''Never Let Me Go'' (33 Records, 1992) * ''Fun'' (33 Records, 1993) * ''It Ain't Necessarily So'' (33 Records, 1994) * ''Time Will Tell'' (33 Records, 1995) * ''Jazz Piquant'' with Tony Coe (33 Records, 1998) * ''Change of Sky'' with Nikki Iles (33 Records, 1998) * ''One Fine Day'' (33 Records, 1999) * ''Live in Paris'' (33 Records, 2000) * ''The Ella Fitzgerald Songbook Revisted'' with Lee Gibson, Barbara Jay (Spotlite, 2000) * ''I'll Take Romance'' (Linn, 2003) * ''Early May'' (33 Records, 2004) * ''More Than You Know'' with Tony Coe, Nikki Iles (33 Records, 2004) * ''A Wing and a Prayer'' (33 Records, 2006) * ''Sings the Ray Bryant Songbook'' (33 Records, 2006) * ''Out of the Blue'' with Ray Guntrip (rayguntripmusic, 2008) * ''I Never Told You'' (33 Records, 2009) * ''Tina May Sings Piaf'' (33 Records, 2011) * ''Where You Belong'' with Ray Guntrip (rayguntripmusic, 2011) * ''No More Hanky Panky'' (33 Records, 2011) * ''Troubadours'' with Dylan Fowler (33 Records, 2013) * ''Divas'' (Hep, 2013) * ''My Kinda Love'' (Hep, 2014) * ''Home Is Where the Heart Is'' with Enrico Pieranunzi (33 Records, 2015) * ''Musica Paradiso: Songs and Stories from the Silver Screen'' with Guillermo Rozenthuler (2016) * ''Telling Jokes'' with Steve Plews (ASC, 2016) * ''Cafe Paranoia: Tina May Sings Mark Murphy'' with Andy Lutter (33 Records, 2017) * ''52nd Street: Tina May Sings the Songs of Duncan Lamont'' (33 Records, 2021) * ''Mood In Blue'' by Ray Guntrip & Tina May (DigiMix Records Ltd - DGMX 594, 2023) (Vocals recorded August, 2021 and co-produced by Gary Barnacle)

As guest

* ''Transatlantic Airs'' with Michael Hashim (33 Jazz, 1994) * ''Ellington's Sacred Music'' with Stan Tracey Jazz Orchestra & the Durham Cathedral Choir (33 Jazz, 2000) * ''Cornucopia 2'' with Humphrey Lyttelton (Caligraph, 2007) * ''I'm Sorry, I Haven't a Clue: Humph Celebration Concert'' ( AudioGO, 2011)

References

External links

Tina May's Web site
* *
My Life in Music - Tina May

YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:May, Tina 1961 births 2022 deaths 20th-century English women singers 20th-century English singers 21st-century English women singers 21st-century English singers British lyricists British women jazz singers British music educators British women music educators Voice teachers English jazz singers English stage actresses English sopranos Musicians from Gloucester People educated at Stroud High School Alumni of Cardiff University Musicians from Gloucestershire Academics of the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire