Each generation, it seems, discovers Mary Stallings anew. A supremely soulful jazz singer, the San Francisco native has appeared alongside jazz greats including Cal Tjader, Dizzy Gillespie and the Count Basie Orchestra over her stellar career. With her supple sense of swing, blues-inflected phrasing, and gift for empathic interpretation, it’s easy to see why The New York Times declared her “perhaps the best jazz singer alive today.”

With nearly 30 years between releases under her own name, during which time she toured with Gillespie, Basie and Billy Eckstine before effectively retiring from music to raise her daughter, Stallings made a triumphant return in the 1990s with a series of superb releases accompanied by piano master Gene Harris’ quartet.

Since her return to music, she has since made up for lost time, enchanting audiences worldwide and recording eleven sessions for Concord, MAXJAZZ and High Note, culminating in her latest High Note album, But Beautiful, featuring longtime accompanist and piano star Eric Reed. Mary Stallings has a long history with SFJAZZ, receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award at our 2011 Gala, performing the opening song during the historic Opening Night concert at the SFJAZZ Center, and appearing in Season 2 for two sold-out shows in duet with pianists Eric Reed and NEA Jazz Master Kenny Barron.

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