An Ann Arbor, Michigan, native and current student at Philadelphia’s Temple University, Oliver Mayman is a vibraphonist, pianist, educator, and composer. Beginning as a child on drums and piano, the vibraphone was an inevitable discovery as a teenager -- the instrument essentially fusing the mechanics of drumming with the harmonic capabilities of the piano. By bringing his array of pianist influences such as Thelonious Monk, Bud Powell, Bill Charlap, and McCoy Tyner and applying their concepts to the vibraphone, he truly treats the instrument as a piano, comfortable in every setting from solo to big band. He has performed across Michigan and Pennsylvania, from clubs like Cliff Bell’s, the Blue Llama, and Chris’ Jazz Cafe to events attracting hundreds of thousands like the Detroit Jazz Festival. He also has extensive teaching experience, teaching privately for vibraphone, piano, and music theory, in addition to being on faculty at vibesworkshop.com.
In 2021, He won the Italy Percussive Arts Society jazz vibraphone competition, the largest vibraphone competition in the world. He has also received a Downbeat Magazine student award for outstanding combo (2019) and outstanding soloist (2020); been awarded second place in the junior open division at the prestigious 2018 M-Prize International Chamber Arts Competition; and been invited to perform at the 2019 Detroit Jazz Festival as part of an all-star youth group composed of high schoolers from across Michigan.
