Mary Stallings
Dizzy’s Club, NYC, December 13, 2019
Reviewed by Marilyn Lester
The down side of jazz vocalist supreme Mary Stallings is
that she’s West Coast-based, meaning her appearances in NYC these days are all
too rare. So, this triumph of a performance at Dizzy’s Club was made all the
sweeter as she defied physical years with her still youthful, nimble voice and high
energy. Stallings has just turned 80 and is proud of it.
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Her wealth of
experience on stage has given her a superbly relaxed, laid-back quality. Her
interpretations are mature and seasoned, yielding delivery of the lyric with
maximum impact and impeccable phrasing. Her opener, “Old Devil Moon” (Burton
Lane/Yip Harburg), introduced an immediate hit of jazz power. The set was
bookended by the equally rousing “Sugar,” a jazz favorite written by tenor
saxophonist Stanley Turrentine.
In between, working with four musicians of stellar ability, Stallings delivered a beautifully paced roster of songs in varied tempos and modes. Special guest, tenor sax man, Houston Person—Stallings’ contemporary—unleashed his mellow tone and smooth, supple playing style on all but one of the numbers (“Prelude to a Kiss”). With the maturity of his years, he partnered with the singer in duet, counterpoint, and call-and-response. Particularly notable was Person’s creativity and voicing on a bluesy version of “Ill Wind” (Harold Arlen/Ted Koehler).
It would be grossly unfair and incorrect to characterize the rhythm section, the Emmet Cohen Trio, as “backing” Stallings. These three young musicians were not only virtuosic in their own right, but were like interlocking pieces of a whole along with Stallings and Person. There was no question that Stallings was front and center, and yet, individual solo turns were not only generously bestowed but were entirely complementary. Cohen is a talent to watch. His energy at the keys is in the stratosphere, while creative ideas flow effortlessly. Improvisation on the samba-infused “Lady Bird” (Tadd Dameron/Stanley Cornfield) was thrilling to hear. In “Prelude to a Kiss” (Duke Ellington/Irving Gordon)—jolting the number usually approached as a ballad into a hard-swing version—Cohen’s fingers were flying on the keys while Stalling’s phrasings soared.
Bassist Russell Hall especially excelled with his melodic solo on a lilting “While We’re Young” (Alec Wilder and Morty Palitz/Bill Engvick), and drummer Kyle Poole provided sensitive percussive support throughout. By the last note of the evening, the sum total was a set in which each song was crafted to perfection, yet delivered with entirely natural ease. The mutual respect among the participants and the joy that was communicated among them all added up to a master class in jazz performance.
