Press and Reviews

THE NEW YORK TIMES
April 1, 2012

The Jazz Singer Mary Stallings undiminished; She sounds like someone who knows and likes the precise dimension of her talent – She is a wizard of long tone which uses to laser into deep emotional zones – she leaves breaks of silence and phrases with microscopic care …

Mary Stallings at SF JazzJazzTimes: SF Jazz Opening

The great San Francisco singer Mary Stallings, an SFJAZZ mainstay dating back to the mid-1980s, when the organization was known as Jazz in the City, offered a different kind of benediction with a gracefully swinging run through “I Love Being Here with You” accompanied by Eric Reed and the SFJAZZ High School All-Stars.

AP: SF Jazz Opening

Mary Stallings sings “I Love Being Here With You,” during the opening night concert of the SFJAZZ Center Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2013 in San Francisco.

Mercury News: Bill Cosby and a constellation of jazz greats perform at new SFJazz Center

Mary Stallings - Mercury News… And even with all the world-renowned stars, this opening night had a hometown feel. Born just a few blocks, Mary Stallings — “the world’s greatest jazz singer,” Kline called her — sang Peggy Lee’s “I Love Being Here With You” with the SFJazz High School All-Stars. Old-school swing, nice and bluesy, it was followed by the modernist retro-isms of pianist Jason Moran (one of SFJazz’s five resident artistic directors) and drummer Eric Harland. The duo squeezed a Fats Waller tune (“Yacht Club Swing”) through the wringer; out the other side came stride piano, Bud Powell-ish “Un Poco Loco”-isms; Afro-jazz vamps and hip-hop.

Mary Stallings at A Place for Jazz
September 28, 2012

Stallings is a jazz vocalist in the classic tradition … she honestly seems to be at the peak of her considerable musical powers.

… She didn’t do a lot of fancy tricks, but she imbued her repertoire with wisdom, a well of emotional depth and logic of the heart. She slowed the tempo way down for “I Don’t Stand a Ghost of a Chance With You,” buttressed by a beautiful bowed bass solo by Harvie S that enhanced the haunting mood. The ballad “Yesterdays” was at once wistful and bittersweet, with a very personal, lived-in quality beyond the reach of so many singers.

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
May 6, 2012

Stallings warmth keens with blues inflections. Her firm sense of time and pulse reach you with laid-back ease. You won’t find her over-singing or trying hard to impress.

WALL STREET JOURNAL
November 18, 2011

Ms. Stallings’ love of her audience not only come through in her emotionally effusive singing, but in her visual presentation; She always looks like a Beverly Hills fashion plate.

THE DAILY GAZETTE
September 29, 2012

Mary Stallings an Elegant Singer with voice like a cello.

A slender of soul — deep elegance an actor presence an adventurous spirit and an alto voice — a sense of swing so distinctive she owned each tune.

O’s PLACE REVIEW
May 13, 2012

Mary signing is no frills, just pure pleasure with sweet tone and a great sense of melody. We love Mary with spontaneity, mesmerizing our soul with grace and warmth.

A memorable debut for jazz at the National Theater
December 27, 2011

Mary Stallings hit all the right notes in her December 23 Prague debut at the National Theater. The American jazz virtuoso vocalist sang pitch-perfect classics from Cole Porter, Duke Ellington and others, including in her program Christmas favorites, tributes to the rich Czech musical heritage and to the great Czech leader Václav Havel.

mary-stallings-bg
Photo by Greg Gorman
listen-online

ABOUT MARY STALLINGS | PERFORMANCES | MUSIC | CONTACT

© 2024 Mary Stallings
website by Origin Web Design