Oakland native Mara Hruby doesn't just play music, she lives it. Across a 16-year singing career, she has poured lessons from her personal life into rich, organic compositions, drawing on influences from Julie London and Patsy Cline to The Moonglows, Curtis Mayfield and Brook Benton. The result is a sound that personifies the soul of an alternative jazz singer.

Her 2010 debut From Her Eyes found her reinterpreting songs originally performed by men, including Bob Marley's "Is It Love," D'Angelo's "Send It On" and Jamiroquai's "Alright." She followed it with Archaic Rapture in 2014, whose single "Cry Me A River" premiered on Billboard in a live studio session and reached #1 on the iTunes Jazz chart within its first week. NPR Music featured "In the Wee Small Hours" in its Songs We Love list in 2016. A captivating performer, Hruby has sold out shows at Yoshi's Oakland and the Blue Note Jazz Club in New York.

Many know her singing, but fewer know her history with vinyl. She reads the mood and energy of a room to build her sets, spinning early jazz, blues, soul, reggae and hip hop. A featured selector at the Napa Blue Note Jazz Festival in 2024 and 2025, she has a way of making people feel right at home. Come at 7pm to hear her on the decks.