After more than six decades of performing, Maria Muldaur still approaches a rehearsal with the anticipation of someone who cannot quite believe she gets to do this for a living.
It remains, Muldaur says, “my lifelong love and passion.” At 83, retirement may be available, but it holds little appeal. “I love to do it,” she notes.
That enthusiasm comes to the Lark Theater in Larkspur on Saturday, July 25, when Maria Muldaur and her Jazzabelle Quintet present “Blues & All That Jazz,” an intimate evening of vintage swing, classic jazz and what she calls “naughty bawdy blues.” Presented by Marin Jazz and the Lark Theater, proceeds from the concert benefit Marin Jazz’s Kids After School Theatre Programs, which provide performing-arts opportunities for young people in Marin schools.
Muldaur’s theme reaches back to the pioneering women of early blues and jazz, whose songs addressed romance, desire and domestic complications with sly humor rather than solemnity.
“A lot of the early blues women that are heroes of mine sang songs about just love and romance, love and lust in all its various forms,” she notes, “and they did it in a very funny, very humorous—not vulgar at all—but very humorous, kind of playful way.”
Among those heroes was Victoria Spivey, a contemporary of Bessie Smith who became Muldaur’s mentor when the younger singer was beginning her career. “She took me under her wing and gave me a lot of pointers on how to perform and how to sing the blues and so forth,” Muldaur says.
That relationship inspired Muldaur’s 2025 album, One Hour Mama: The Blues of Victoria Spivey. Her 44th release, the record received a Grammy nomination. The Larkspur concert will feature material from the album as well as selections spanning Muldaur’s expansive catalog.
The evening’s more suggestive numbers include “Don’t You Feel My Leg,” a 1940s New Orleans blues tune that Dr. John introduced to Muldaur before she recorded it for her first solo album. She also plans to perform “Loan Me Your Husband” and “One Hour Mama,” songs she describes as playful and tongue-in-cheek.
And yes, she will sing “Midnight at the Oasis,” the 1974 hit that remains her best-known recording. Muldaur rejects the familiar rock-star complaint about having to revisit an old success.
“How lucky am I that I sang this funny little song about a camel 53 years ago, and people still get excited about hearing it today?” she says.
Familiarity does not mean repetition. Muldaur feels a well-constructed song with words in which she believes leaves room for reinvention through phrasing, mood and the interaction among musicians. “You can make it new every night,” she points out.
Her Jazzabelle Quintet brings together pianist John R. Burr; bassist Ruth Davies; guitarist Danny Caron; Kristin Strom on saxophone, flute and clarinet; and drummer Ronnie Smith. Muldaur describes the ensemble as a stellar collection of Bay Area jazz players and says simply being in the room with them remains a source of excitement.
She is equally enthusiastic about The Lark, a refurbished neighborhood movie theater whose sound system and intimate scale have made it one of her favorite local places to hear music.
For all the career milestones, stylistic excursions and awards, Muldaur’s reason for continuing remains direct.
“I see how it instantly brings joy to the people listening,” she says. “So as long as that’s the case, I’ll keep doing it.”
Maria Muldaur & Her Jazzabelle Quintet perform at 7:30pm, Saturday, July 25, at the Lark Theater, 549 Magnolia Ave., Larkspur. General admission is $55; VIP tickets are $65.
