I don’t often refer to the marvelous Marilyn Maye’s age, but since the title of her new show at 54 Below is “I Wish I were 90 Again,” I can divulge that the show celebrates her turning 91. I can think of no other singer who possesses Maye’s combination of interpretive ability, rhythmic verve, and, yes, vocal range, as impressive as that of just about any singer 50 years her junior. Ella Fitzgerald once called her “the greatest white female singer in the world” — that’s no exaggeration.

This show opens like gangbusters, opening with two of her brassiest, beltiest signature songs “It’s Today” and “You’re Gonna Hear from Me.” She’s fantastic throughout, singing songs of love and celebration — with a breif detour into melancholy in a medley centered on the word “blue.” Her repertoire for the evening ranges from Melissa Manchester’s clear-eyed romance “Come In From The Rain” to a rollicking and vituousic take on Leiber & Stoller’s “I’m A Woman.”

This is a classic act in every sense of the phrase. Maye is a jazz-pop singer worthy of being included in the company of Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn or Blossom Dearie, and her phrasing is the finest I’ve heard in that style from a living singer — for she truly is the last of that generation of singers. Maye exquisitely tailors her style of singing to the individual song, smooth for the ballads, swinging for the standards, and truly gritty for the bluesier numbers. If you love classic songs sung like they’re meant to be sung, it doesn’t get any better than this.

For tickets, click here.

To learn about Jonathan Warman’s directing work, see jonathanwarman.com.