Vocalist Mary Stallings comes to The RRazz Room from February 2 to 5. Showtimes are 7pm on Friday and Saturday and 5pm on Sunday. Her band will include David Udolf on piano, Akira Tana on drums and Ron Belcher on bass. I last saw Mary at Yoshi’s Oakland and her show was amazing.

According to the New York Times, “perhaps the best jazz singer singing today is a woman almost everybody seems to have missed.” That woman is Mary Stallings, a Bay Area native who established a name for herself as one of the finest jazz singers of the 1960s, performing with such luminaries as Dizzy Gillespie, Cal Tjader, Billy Eckstine, and Count Basie.

After taking a hiatus from her recording career in the 1970s to raise her daughter and work as a clothes designer, Stallings stepped back into the national jazz spotlight in 1999 when the owner of the famous Village Vanguard nightclub in New York heard a recording of her singing and eventually tracked her down at her home in San Francisco. Ever since then, jazz fans have had the pleasure of rediscovering Stallings, whose voice and phrasing continued to mature and improve during her long sabbatical. In 2006 she was presented with the San Francisco Jazz Festival’s Beacon Award for her contributions to jazz in the Bay Area.
“I had a huge voice when I was just eight years old,” says Mary Stallings about her beginnings as a singer. It was a voice too big to ignore – spanning almost four octaves. Few could. By the time she was 11, she had made her first solo recording and while still in high school she joined Louis Jordan’s Tympani Five. She came of age in the big band era, and was invited to tour as vocalist with most of the major names of the time. “It was the best musical education I could have had,” explains Mary, “I was fired from lessons for playing everything from memory.” Instead, her education came a bit more unconventionally, including stints with the Grover Mitchell – Earl “Father” Hines band, three years touring the U.S. and Europe with Count Basie, and sharing the bill with Joe Williams, Tony Bennett and Ella Fitzgerald. “I met all the heroes of the music and then got a chance to work with them,” she says.

Although Mary took time off from touring and recording during the ’70′s, she never stopped singing. So when she re-emerged back onto the jazz scene reinvigorated, with a sound that gave homage to her past but held a freshness and vigor, she immediately caught the attention of the music press, who called her “stunning” and a “jazz vocal sensation.” During this period, she released several critically acclaimed CDs, one which made many of the year-end “best-of” lists, another that went to the top 10 on the Gavin Jazz Chart. Today, Mary Stallings combines the grace and grandeur of experience with an undiluted passion for performing in her Live At The Village Vanguard release. With its blend of old and new, smoky standards and take-your-breath-away ballads, the CD, in many ways, reflects this current milestone in Mary’s career. “This is the right time for me to be singing these songs,” she says. “I pick songs that feel delicious to me, songs that I relate to at the time, songs that I love. That’s what you’ll find here.”

Photo Credit: James Knox

The month is moving by so quickly and I have seen so much great music this month include the Bayview Music Festival, Healdsburg Jazz Festival, Impulse Mondays, Wynton Marsalis & Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, Carmen Lundy, Monty Alexander, Valerie Troutt, Rhonda Benin, and Hugh Masekela. Summer is here and there is great music coming our way.

Just announced, Natalie Cole is coming back to the Bay Area from August 25-28. She will play two show nightly at Yoshi’s San Francisco (8/25-26) and two shows nightly at Yoshi’s Oakland (8/27-28.) Tickets are on sale for all shows.

My Picks for the Weekend:

Hugh Masekela @ Yoshi’s Oakland w/ shows at 8 and 10 pm tonight – I went last night and was totally mesmerized.
Rhonda Benin will be singing soul, blues and jazz with John Turk @ Duke’s R&B – 201 Broadway Street in Downtown Oakland – 8-11 pm tonight – I stopped through last night and she was groovin’.
Maya Kronfeld & Valerie Troutt “Two Shoes Shouting” voice & piano duet @ Red Poppy Art House – 2698 Folsom Street, San Francisco – 8:30 p.m. tonight – This is such a cool, cozy, and intimate place to see a show.
Dayna Stephens @ Birdland Jazz – Berkeley – 11:30 pm tonight – Don’t miss this opportunity to see one of the Bay Area’s finest sax players.
Generations in Jazz with Eldar Djangirov & Pat Martino @ Yoshi’s Oakland – June 25 & 26 – This should be a really great show!
Joe Bataan @ Yoshi’s San Francisco – June 25 – Shows at 8 and 10pm. – Don’t miss this incredible singer’s rare visit to the Bay Area.

Other Notables:

Stanford Jazz Festival kicks off tonight with Allen Toussaint. The festival lineup includes Bill Charlap, Renee Rosnes, Marcus Shelby Jazz Orchestra, Clairdee, Joe Lovano, Gary Burton, and The Heath Brothers. The festival runs through the first week on August.
Laurel District Summer Solstice Festival – Oakland – Saturday – 9am-8pm
Berkeley Juneteenth Festival – Berkeley – Sunday – 10am-6pm
Kim Nalley Sings Nina Simone – “She Put A Spell On Me” is in its 5-week run at The Rrazz Room in San Francisco.
Impulse Mondays! – The last concert of this series celebrates the music of Oliver Nelson featuring The Jazz Mafia and special guests. Yoshi’s SF – Monday 8 pm

Next Week:

Kurt Ribak – Yoshi’s Oakland – Monday – 8 pm
Junius Courtney Big Band with Denise Perrier @ Yoshi’s Oakland – Tuesday – Shows at 8 and 10 pm – “Quite Quincy” – Celebrating the music of Quincy Jones
John Handy – Legends of Fillmore, Volume II – Yoshi’s San Francisco – Tuesday – 8 pm
Rene Marie – Yoshi’s Oakland – Thursday – 8 pm – Celebrating her new release, Voice of My Beautiful Country
Fillmore Jazz Festival – Fillmore Street, San Francisco – July 2&3 – 10 am-6 pm each day

Photo of Hugh Masekela at Yoshi’s Oakland by James Knox

Happy Black Music Month!!!

There is some spectacular music happening in the Bay Area this weekend but before we get started, I wanted to mention the following upcoming concerts:

Carmen Lundy – Yoshi’s Oakland – June 16 & 17 – Shows at 8 and 10pm – Come see Carmen in a rare Bay Area performance. She is a wonderful musician and her voice is truly gift.
Rachelle Ferrell is coming back to the Bay Area this fall at the intimate Rrazz Room – November 3-6. This room is intimate and cozy so tickets will definitely sell out fast.

My Picks for the Weekend:

Healdsburg Jazz Festival – The ‘One Voice: An Afternoon of Vocal Jazz Concert today and Latin Jazz All-Stars Concert on Sunday have been moved to the Jackson Theater (4400 Day School Pl., Santa Rosa.)
Hiromi @ Yoshi’s San Francisco through Sunday – 8 and 10pm
Joey DeFrancesco @ Yoshi’s Oakland through Sunday – 8 and 10pm
Larry Smith @ The Jazzschool – Saturday @ 8 pm
SFJAZZ – Lee Ritenour with Dave Grusin – Herbst Theatre – Sunday @ 7 pm
IMPULSE! Mondays John Coltrane featuring Marcus Shelby Trio featuring Mel Martin and Howard Wiley – Yoshi’s SF will host concerts on Mondays through the month of June celebrating the 50th anniversary of Impulse Records.

Other Notables:

Little Brown Brother @ Birdland Jazz – Saturday @ 8:30 pm
Craig Horton Blues Band, with Gee Gee Amos @ Birdland Jazz – Saturday @ 11 pm
Eric Swinderman Quartet @ 57th Street Gallery Oakland – Saturday @ 8-11 pm
Kenny Hawkins Latin Groove Project @ 57th Street Gallery Oakland – Sunday @ 7-10 pm
Blue Monday Jazz Jam Session with Calvin Keys and Khalil Shaheed @ 57th Street Gallery – Monday – 7-10 pm

Next Week:

The Jazzschool Young Musicians Program Celebration at the Freight & Salvage! ($10.50 advance, $12.50 at the door) – Monday, June 06, 8:00 pm (doors open at 7:00 pm)
Jazz and Democracy Project Fundraiser – Infusion Lounge – 124 Ellis Street – SF – 6-9:30 pm – The Jazz and Democracy Project, under the direction of Dr. Wesley Watkins IV, brings jazz education to students around the Bay Area. In a time where the support for music and arts are drying up in our schools, Jazz and Democracy is very vital and keeps jazz alive.
Supper and Song Series – St Alban’s Parish Hall, 1501 Washington Ave, Albany – Wednesday – 6:45 pm – This month featuring Frank Jackson, Lisa Lindsley, Marscha, and Barry Warren performing Great American Songbook standards, originals and re-discovered gems.
STILL BLACK, STILL PROUD – An African Tribute to James Brown – Featuring Pee Wee Ellis, Vusi Mahlasela, Cheikh Lo – Yoshi’s Oakland – June 9 & 10 – Shows at 8 and 10 pm.

Photo of Oakland Skyline from Lake Merritt by James Knox. All rights reserved.

This is a quick post. I will make it pretty later.

Valerie Troutt is at The Jazzschool tonight at 8pm.
Oleta Adams is at The Rrazz Room through Saturday.
Goapele is at Yoshi’s San Francisco through Sunday.
Rachelle Ferrell is at Yoshi’s Oakland through Sunday.

It is another great weekend to go hear and support live music. You know what to do! Live music…be a part of it!!!

Photo of Valerie Troutt by James Knox

Song stylist Clairdee will be performing “Mad About Gershwin” at The Rrazz Room in the Hotel Nikko in San Francisco tonight. This is her Rrazz Room debut so let’s pack out the house.

I first saw Clairdee perform in 2002 at Yoshi’s Oakland. She featured the music of Rodgers & Hart that evening. We came in to select our seats near the end of her sound check. She came down and greeted people in the audience after she finished. It is a moment I will never forget and it has endeared me to her for life.

Clairdee is the consummate performer. No matter the genre of the song, she takes it and makes it her own. I love they way she can make the room stand still when she sings a beautiful ballad. You are in for a great treat tonight. See you there!

Photo Credit: James Knox

Over the next 8 days, I will see 9 music performers. I am very excited. Tonight, I am seeing the Ronnie Laws Quartet at Yoshi’s San Francisco in celebration of his new release, Voices in the Water. Below is a complete list of concerts:

02/20 Performance and Lecture: Jazz in the Gallery @ MoAD (Museum of African Diaspora) with Drummer Jaz Sawyer and his group, 3RIO – Join Jaz Sawyer in tracing the musical influence of the international port of New Orleans, the melting pot for creative music innovation and cultural exchange that is the wellspring of the American art form, jazz. Explore the African American experience of cultural resilience through dance, singing and drumming traditions that fused elements from various cultures with gospel, blues and the Latin tinge.

02/21 Wayne Wallace Latin Jazz Quartet at Yoshi’s Oakland – CD Release Celebration for To Hear From There

02/22 Vocalist Gregory Porter @ Yoshi’s Oakland – Celebrating Grammy Nomination for his new album Water

02/23 Vocalist Paula West @ The Rrazz Room in the Hotel Nikko San Francisco – The last few weeks of her phenomenal 8 week engagement at The Rrazz Room. This will be my second time seeing her during this engagement. If you have not seen her yet, what are you waiting for?

02/23 Joe Warner Trio @ Kaleidoscope SF – From Joe: “I lead the session at Kaleidoscope every 2nd and 4th Wednesdays. I have a great group put together for this Wednesday featuring Lorca Hart on drums and Zach Ostroff on bass. Kaleidoscope is a cool arts venue in the Mission District and needs your support to stay alive. Come buy a couple drinks, listen to the music, and sit in on the second set. No cover!” Check them out!!!

02/24 Vocalist Rhonda Benin @ Freight and Salvage in Berkeley – In celebration of Black History Month (and her own birthday!) song stylist Rhonda Benin presents “Love Letters Make Me Misty Blue,” bringing to our stage music of the great unsung soul divas of the 1960s, like Martha Reeves, Ketty Lester, Gladys Knight, and Betty Everett.

02/25 Violinist Regina Carter with Oakland East Bay Symphony – Internationally renowned jazz violinist Regina Carter is soloist for a new violin concerto written for her by composer and jazz pianist Billy Childs. Carter, known for her passionate playing, brings audiences to their feet, whether on tour in Europe or in her hometown of Detroit, where this work received its world premiere in January. San Francisco Performances is proud to be a co-commissioner and to partner with the Oakland East Bay Symphony to bring this Concerto to our audiences.

02/26 Junius Courtney Big Band with Denise Perrier@ Freight and Salvage in Berkeley – With a brand new CD to release—Us—and a big dance floor to fill, there’s plenty to celebrate, and the Junius Courtney Big Band wants you in the house for a Saturday night party!

02/26 Terrence Brewer Trio @ 57th Street Art Gallery in Oakland – Terrence Brewer Trio concert celebrating Black History month with a concert at one of Oakland’s most amazing fine art/music galleries!

Vesta – vocals
Glen Pearson – keyboards
Craig T. Cooper – guitar
Curtis Ohlsen – bass guitar
Dante “Taz” Roberson

I went to see Vesta Williams at The Rrazz Room last night. It was like catching up with an old friend whom you had not seen for years. Vesta opened her 90 minute set with a fiery rendition of her classic “Once Bitten, Twice Shy.” She then took us on a musical journey through her classics and recent recordings. She sang David Gates and Bread’s “I Want To Make With You.” It was sultry and steamy and she traded scat licks with guitarist Craig T. Cooper. On Bill Withers’ “Use Me,” she got a little help on background vocals from an audience member whom she invited on stage and was able to keep up with Vesta’s mesmerizing vocals. Next in our journey, she did an incredible a cappella medley of Deniece Williams’ “Free”, Sly Stone’s “If You Want Me To Stay”, The Spinners’ “Could It Be I’m Falling In Love”, Marvin Gaye’s “Distant Lover” and several of her own gems – “4U,” “Sweet, Sweet Love,” “Hunger”, and “You Still Do It For Me.” She asked the audience what they wanted to hear and they called out all her classics. I should also mention that in between songs, Vesta did hilarious impersonations of Patti LaBelle, Michael McDonald, and Tina Turner. Vesta closed out the evening with her signature song, “Congratulations” and she moved every soul in the room. She took us from sad to celebratory for she told us though she had lost a love, she still had a friend in Jesus. Yes, she took us to church! She put so much of herself in this song that she was almost in tears at the end. That is the power of a great song and a great singer. She sang every note to the fullest. She encored with one of my favorites, “Don’t You Blow A Good Thing.” I definitely want to here more of her music real soon.

Her incredible band included her longtime friend Craig T. Cooper on guitar and Bay Area favorites Glen Pearson on keyboards, Curtis Ohlsen on bass guitar and Dante “Taz” Roberson on drums.

I got meet her after the show and she was wonderful. Her next album, Seven, will be released in July and the first single will be “Silly.” I asked her about her album title and she said, “Seven is her seventh project and seven is a number of completion.” Be on the lookout for Vesta!

Photo Credit: James Knox

I had the pleasure of chatting with award winning actress/singer Loretta Devine who will be appearing at The Rrazz Room in the Hotel Nikko in San Francisco November 27-29. Her shows will be at 8pm on Friday and Saturday and 7pm on Sunday. Tickets are available at www.therrazzroom.com.

We talked her upcoming shows this weekend, her current film projects, and her beginnings in acting and theater. It was a very fun and Loretta was gracious and lovely. I definitely look forward to seeing Loretta in concert this weekend. See you there!

Please listen to my interview with Loretta Devine.

A Conversation with Loretta Devine [15:50m]: Hide Player | Play in Popup | Download

LORETTA DEVINE-Biography

Equally at home on stage or on screen, award-winning actress Loretta Devine has created some of the most memorable roles in theatre, film and television. Devine first captured national attention in the role of Lorrell, one of the three original “Dreamgirls” in Michael Bennett’s classic award-winning Broadway musical of the same name. She followed that performance with a fiery portrayal of Lillian in Bob Fosse’s critically acclaimed stage production“Big Deal.” Subsequent work in George C. Wolfe’s “Colored Museum” and “Lady Day at Emerson Bar and Grill,” cemented Devine’s status as one of the most talented and versatile stage actresses.

Film roles soon followed including a poignant turn as a single mother opposite Whitney Houston, Angela Bassett and Gregory Hines in “Waiting to Exhale” which earned her a NAACP Image Award for Best Supporting Actress. Devine also won an NAACP Image Award for Best Supporting Actress for her work in Penny Marshall’s “The Preacher’s Wife.” Devine also received an IFP “Spirit” Award nomination for Best Actress for her work in “Women Thou Art Loosed.” Devine was featured in the Academy Award-winning film “Crash” and the hit movie of “Dreamgirls.” Additional film credits include appearances in the successful “Urban Legend” franchise, “I Am Sam” opposite Michelle Pfeiffer and Sean Pean, “Kingdom Come,” “What Women Want,” “Punks,” “Hoodlums,” “Down in the Delta” and “Stanley and Iris.” Devine also appeared in “Sticky Fingers,” “Amos and Andrew,” “The Breaks,” “The Price of Kissing,” “Lover Girl,” “Class Act,” “Living Large,” “Caged Fear” and “Little Nikita” and “Dirty Laundry” Most recently Devine co-starred in “This Christmas” and “First Sunday” both of which opened Number 1 at the box office. Ms. Devine voiced the character of Delta the chocolate brown toy poodle in “Beverly Hills Chihuahua” for Disney starring Drew Barrymore. Look for the upcoming 2010 release of Sony Screen Gems remake of “Death At A Funeral” with Chris Rock, Martin Lawrence and Danny Glover.

On television, Devine most recently was seen on the ABC series “Eli Stone” as well as her recurring role as Adele on the hit medical drama series “Grey’s Anatomy.” She received three NAACP Image Awards for her role on David E. Kelly’s Fox series “Boston Public.” Additional credits include series roles in “A Different World” and Lifetime Television’s “Wild Card.” Devine also provided the voice of Muriel Stubbs on the beloved animated series, “The PJ’s.”

Devine graduated from the University of Houston and later received a Master of Fine Arts in Theatre Arts from Brandeis University. She currently resides in Los Angeles.