Jazz

Mary Stallings - Don't Look Back (2012)

2012-06-03T21:22:17Z

Mary Stallings - Don't Look Back (2012)


01. When Lights Are Low
02. The Way You Love Me
03. Night Mist Blues
04. Goodbye Medley
05. Is That...? (This Love)		play
06. Don't Look Back
07. Love Me or Leave Me
08. Don't Misunderstand		play
09. Key Largo
10. Soul Eyes
11. Mary's Blues
12. People Time (Forever Mine)

Personnel: 
Mary Stallings: vocals; 
Eric Reed: piano and arrangements; 
Reuben Rogers: bass (except 3,9,10,11); 
Carl Allen: drums (except 3,9,10,11).

I first got hip to Mary Stallings in late 2010 with the release of Dream on the HighNote label. While age is but a number and length of time and competency don't necessarily go hand in hand, Don't Look Back is the latest release from an impeccable vocalist that has flown under some folks musical radar for far too long. It is beyond comprehension that Stallings career has spanned fifty years. What was so captivating with Dream is actually exceeded with Don't Look Back. Stallings is a story teller with warm inviting vocals and phrasing that is second to none. Mary Stallings has found the perfect accompanist at the piano bench in Eric Reed. If Stallings and Reed are not joined at the hip literally there is a musical cohesion of elegance and style that plays to Stallings considerable talents thanks to arrangements by Reed that are on point with each passing track.

Stallings and Reed have been musical partners since 2001 and rounding out the rhythm section we have Reuben Rogers on bass and Carl Allen on drums for a formidable trio whose zen like approach of less is more allows Stallings to shine. "When Lights Are Low" kicks off this deceptively subtle swing and finds Stallings in fine vocal form. Rogers and Allen are key parts of subtle nuances that make this such a treat but Eric Reed's slight blues infusion on this tune pushes the warmth and style that is Mary Stallings. "Love Me Or Leave Me" is turned into a cool blues as Stallings becomes a captivating story teller as though the tune were somewhat autobiographical. The musical chemistry between Stallings and Reed is spot on with Reed playing straight from his wheelhouse while adding depth and flavor to a classic. A true artist can take a standard such as "Love Me Or Leave Me" and place their own indelible mark on the tune making it their own and something remembered long after the last note fades. "Mary's Blues" is an Eric Reed original proving blues is indeed good for the soul and when played at this high level is the cure for most ills. A groove you can use finds Stallings slaying this tune as she does with remarkable consistency throughout the release.

Musical frames of reference are inherently unfair to virtually everyone involved. The logical question for the uninitiated may well be who does Mary Stallings sound like? Mary Stallings. Comparisons to the warmth of a Nancy Wilson and the phrasing of a Carmen McRae are certainly more than fair. Stallings first caught attention just over fifty years ago with the release of Cal Tjader Plays, Mary Stallings Sings. Now 72, Stallings is performing at an artistic level other vocalists working a similar catalog could work fifty years and not be close to the style, soul and sophistication Stallings puts out for us now.

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Mary Stallings - Manhattan Moods (1997)

2013-09-18T15:46:02Z

Mary Stallings - Manhattan Moods (1997)


01. This Can't Be Love [0:04:19.10]
02. Sweet and Lovely [0:05:20.70]
03. I Have a Feeling [0:06:11.02]
04. How High the Moon [0:05:39.05]
05. Lullaby of the Leaves [0:04:41.00]
06. I Wish I Knew [0:05:06.68]
07. The Surrey With the Fringe on Top [0:04:51.15]
08. You Go to My Head [0:06:37.65]
09. He Was Too Good to Me [0:06:05.72]
10. Willow Weep for Me [0:06:02.03]
11. I Don't Stand a Ghost of a Chance with You [0:05:21.10]
12. I Love You Madly [0:04:23.65]

Musicians:
Mary Stallings - Voice
Monty Alexander - Piano
Ben Wolfe - Bass
Clyde Lucas - Drums
Hendrik Meurkens - Harmonica ,Vibraphone (6, 8)
Dick Oates - Flute , Soprano Sax (3 ,4 & 9 )

A product of the San Francisco Bay Area jazz scene, Mary Stallings recorded in New York for the first time when she entered a Manhattan studio for her third Concord release, Manhattan Moods. Contrary to what some provincial, myopic jazz critics implied, Stallings didn't have to record in the Big Apple to prove her legitimacy -- she would have been a great singer even if she'd never set foot outside of northern California. But Stallings' visit to New York was a good thing, for her talented East Coast support includes pianist Monty Alexander and producer Allen Farnham (who is a fine pianist himself, though he doesn't play on this CD). Farnham was known for his work with Mel Tormé and Susannah McCorkle, and when it came to working with singers in the 1990s, you couldn't ask for a more insightful producer. Farnham's input was obviously a major asset for Stallings, who really pours her heart into such chestnuts as "You Go to My Head," "I Wish I Knew," and "Lullaby of the Leaves." Perhaps the album's most surprising track is "How High the Moon," which was done at maximum speed by countless beboppers, but becomes a haunting ballad in Stallings' hands. With Stallings having put her singing career on the back burner for so many years, it was great to see her building an impressive catalog at Concord. ---Alex Henderson, Rovi

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Mary Stallings - Remember Love (2005)

2013-09-21T15:22:22Z

Mary Stallings - Remember Love (2005)


01. What a Difference a Day Makes 1:30
02. There Is No Greater Love 4:17
03. Hello Yesterday 6:23
04. Centerpiece 6:23
05. Moment to Moment 4:18
06. Dindi 5:35
07. Remember Love 3:55
08. Lucky to Be Me 4:32
09. I Just Found Out About Love 3:21
10. Make Me Rainbows 3:12
11. Why Should There Be Stars 7:16
12. Still the One 3:30
13. Stuck in a Dream 5:56
14. Funny Not Much 2:53
15. What a Difference a Day Makes 2:04

Musicians:
Mary Stallings - vocals
Geri Allen - piano, organ
Darryl Hall - double bass
Billy Hart - drums
Frank Wess - flute, tenor sax
Vincent Herring - alto sax
Wallace Roney – trumpet

Starting with Concord Jazz in the '90s and continuing with MaxJazz and now Half Note Records, Mary Stallings's talents have finally been revealed.

On Remember Love, she is abetted by a stellar band, including pianist Geri Allen (who also provides arrangements and serves as producer), drummer Billy Hart, Frank Wess on tenor and flute, trumpeter Wallace Roney, and alto saxophonist Vincent Herring. Stallings sings well and stays focused, avoiding a distracting habit of singing the wrong words. She seems to relish the lyrics of Henry Mancini's "Moment to Moment as well as Allen's Latin-inflected setting. The gorgeous "Dindi, however, never finds its focus.

Like the great Etta Jones, Stallings is at her best as a flat-footed (Jones' apt term for her own sorely missed art), straight-shooting raconteur of love lost and found. As if to prove this point, with just Darryl Hall's bass, she smokes "Centerpiece, and she outswings the curiously restrained band on "I Just Found Out About Love.

The band seems reluctant to let loose, creating an atmosphere far too somber at times. The rough-and-tumble accompaniment of Gene Harris and Monty Alexander on previous sessions is missing here. And, because of this restraint, there is too much of one mood. Songs like Shania Twain's "Still the One and "Stuck in a Dream, although nicely sung, fail to take off.

One of the session's finest moments comes, however, when Stallings stands "Funny Not Much on its head, eschewing the usual slow tempo for a bracing stroll. Likewise, she negotiates the rhythmic shifts of "There Is No Greater Love skillfully. Allen's organ solo is thoughtful and restrained.

"Hello Yesterday and "Why Should There Be Stars showcase her art so well as she lingers over blue-hued melodies, singing of lost loves. This type of singing, almost a forgotten art today, is not merely a lesson in nostalgia, but a reminder of the continuing importance of tradition in jazz. Here the arrangements lovingly frame the singer, and Wess and Roney carefully caress her declarations.

Stallings takes the long-honored blues-ballad approach, shows she is not afraid to swing hard, and revitalizes a venerable tradition in jazz singing. ---Andrew Rowan, allaboutjazz.com

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