Scott Mayo

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Rochester, New York, U.S. Birthplace

www.scottmayomusic.com Website

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About

Scott Mayo is a multi-instrumentalist, arranger, composer, and producer widely regarded as one of the top call musicians in Los Angeles. A saxophonist and flutist by training, he spent over six years touring with Earth, Wind & Fire and approximately fifteen years as musical director and writing partner for Sergio Mendes, co-writing "Sabor do Rio" with Mendes and Common. He has performed or recorded with Stevie Wonder, Beyonce, John Legend, Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen, and Damian Marley, among many others. He played all woodwind parts on Beyonce's Grammy-winning album Renaissance and arranged music for the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra's 50th anniversary celebration of Brasil '66. A two-time Grammy nominee, he was inducted into the Rochester Music Hall of Fame in 2024. His solo albums include Low Angle View, Testimony, and the Brazilian tribute Meu Brasil.

Trivia

Mayo served as a member of the Dancing With the Stars house band, arranging and playing saxophones, flutes, and clarinets across styles from classical to klezmer. He was the physical model and performer for the Pixar film Soul alongside Roy Haynes under Jon Batiste's musical direction. His son, vocalist Michael Mayo, received Grammy nominations for his own work, continuing the family's musical legacy.

Early Life

Scott Mayo grew up in the Henrietta neighborhood of Rochester, New York, and began playing music at age eight. When he wanted to join the school band, his mother vetoed drums, trumpet, and guitar as too loud, so he inherited a clarinet his brothers had played. His father introduced him to jazz by taking him to Sunday night jam sessions. At Rush-Henrietta High School, he excelled in wind ensemble, jazz ensemble, and marching band while also playing varsity sports, until a teacher encouraged him to focus entirely on music. He graduated in 1980 and studied saxophone at the University of Michigan under Donald Sinta, with earlier foundational training from Roger Eckers. In 1983, he was one of twenty musicians nationally selected for the All-American College Marching Band at Disneyland, where he made the Los Angeles connections that launched his professional career.