Her first album was Cal Tjader Plays, Mary Stallings Sings, in 1961. Here's Why Don't You Do Right?...
Here she is signing The Party's Over with Count Basie in Budapest, Hungary, in 1970...
And here's Serenade in Blue from I Waited for You with the Gene Harris Quartet in 1994...
One of my favorite Mary Stallings albums is Songs Were Made to Sing, recorded for Smoke Sessions in 2018. She was backed by Eddie Henderson (tp), Vincent Herring (as), David Hazeltine (p), David Williams (b), Joe Farnsworth (d) and Daniel Sadownick (perc). The songs are Stolen Moments, Lover Man, Blue Monk, Ill Wind, While We're Young, Lady Bird, When I Close My Eyes, Prelude to a Kiss, Third Time Is the Charm, 'Round Midnight, Soul Mates, Give Me the Simple Life and Sugar.
What I love about Stallings is her singing style, which seems to have been influenced by Carmen McRae with a touch of Nancy Wilson. This doesn't mean she sings like Carmen or Nancy, just that she phrases in places like them. Stallings has her own thing, which always sound great. No matter how difficult the song, her voice is warm, smooth and knowing. For me, I can't stop listening to her when she's on.
Note to the NEA: Mary Stallings is an extraordinary jazz singer and deserves to be an NEA Jazz Master.
JazzWax tracks: You'll find Mary Stallings's Songs Were Made to Sing here.
JazzWax clips: Here's Stolen Moments...
And here's 'Round Midnight...
This story appears courtesy of JazzWax by Marc Myers.
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