Mary Ann Douglas

Mary Ann Douglas, a vocalist based in Southern California, distinguishes herself from many peers through her limited interest in live performances. She instead devotes primary attention to recording albums and, most especially, to songwriting. Her parallel profession as a speech pathologist grants her the freedom to advance along her own musical path at a self-determined pace and through individualized techniques. Douglas deliberately avoids standards, even after pianist Gene Harris singled out her version of “When Sunny Gets Blue” for high praise and urged her to forward additional tapes. She reasons that plenty of stronger interpreters already occupy that territory and therefore elects to compose her own material, convinced it merits complete albums. Both True Stories, issued in 1997, and Sensory, released in 1999, contain exclusively her originals.

Her recordings have drawn the finest San Diego jazz players, with Mike Wofford, Bob Magnusson, and John Rekevics appearing on both dates and guitarist Peter Sprague joining the second. Douglas moves comfortably among straight-ahead, swing, blues, bossa nova, and light R&B forms. The architecture of her pieces supports inventive and engaging arrangements that reward further exploration. Although she tends to minimize her vocal gifts, she sings with genuine finesse. Like Peggy Lee, she has succeeded as both songwriter and performer. Her phrasing also reveals clear admiration for Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, and Carmen McRae.