Review: Veteran Jazz Vocalist Mary Foster Conklin's New CD PHOTOGRAPHS Offers Her Interpretive Stamp On Classic Songs

By: Jan. 23, 2016
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With her new CD release Photographs, veteran New York jazz and cabaret singer Mary Foster Conklin puts her own stamp on the material, which is part interpretation and part the limited range of her often smoky alto. Accompanying musicians-led by John diMartino on piano--are top notch with especially deft use of brass. The CD features classics like "Autumn Serenade" (Peter DeRose/Sammy Gallop) and "Key Largo" (Benny Carter/Leah Worth) and eclectic material such as the excellent "Small Day Tomorrow" (Fran Landesman/Bob Dorough.)

Joni Mitchell's "Night in the City" arrives like blinking lights on wet pavement. Rhythm rides below lyric. Saxophone is at play. The song has straight ahead momentum, unlike Mitchell's own start-stop phrasing with high-low pitch. Foster Conklin's voice is soft edged.

Bossa Novas "Cinnamon and Clove" (Johnny Mandel/Alan & Marilyn Bergman) and "Night Song" (Charles Strouse/Lee Adams) are lightly rendered with infectious percussion. The first gives prominence to diMartino's wandering piano, the second to sinuous, vocal octave changes that evoke moving hips.

Piano is also spotlit in Foster Conkin's version of "Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most" (Fran Landesman/Tommy Wolf), where it successively undulates, accents, and saunters. Lyric thoughts are hesitant making them sound as if they're occurring in real time. This is a two-martini take.

A hushed and easy "Moonglow" (Will Hudson/Irving Mills/Eddie DeLange) settles like gently laid blankets, one section at a time. "Long As You're Living" (Julian Priester/Tommy Turrentine/ Oscar Brown Jr.) is sheer hip. Foster Conklin's vocal goes up hill and down dale hand-in-hand with Ed Howard's bass. Many of the other songs unfortunately sound similar.

Musicians: John diMartino--Piano, Ed Howard--Bass, Shinnosuke Takahashi--Drums, Joel Frahm--Soprano & Tenor Sax, Warren Vache--Cornet, Paul Meyers--Guitar, Nanny Assis--percussion, Houston Person--Tenor Sax ("For No One").

Mary Foster Conklin's Photographs is scheduled for release on February 2, 2016 through Mock Turtle Music.



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