by Alix Cohen . . .

It’s been awhile, but Mary Foster Conklin’s lost none of her cool vibe. The recognizably throaty alto (with an ability to climb and dip) remains expressive and unique, phrasing her own. In a show of eclectic material, each song featuring a woman’s collaboration, the vocalist offers a potpourri of ballads, swing and jazz you’re unlikely to hear elsewhere. Bridging patter- if sometimes a bit carried away- is warm and illuminating.

“I Wished On the Moon” (Dorothy Parker/Ralph Ranger) borders on samba with an apt shuuush sound. Music passes visibly through Conklin with a little bounce. Arms are balletic, head never still. “Them Their Eyes” (Doris Tauber/ Maceo Pinkard/William Tracy) couldn’t be more different.  An up-tempo forties treatment riding in on bass is rhythmic and happy. Perspective is just right.

“Stop Going Through the Motions” (Una Mae Carlisle/Robert Sour) emerges a slow, wide-hipped sashay. “You been leading me on/You been heading me off…Stop going through the motions…” It’s seductive, but could be more so if Conklin picked out an audience member (or two) on whom to focus. “Key Largo” (Leah Worth/Karl Suessdorf/Benny Carter) is a noir, femme fatale scenario with dusky piano and resonant bass. One pictures a seedy, almost empty bar, perhaps in the tropics. It’s haunting.

“Summertime” (Sharon Robinson/Leonard Cohen) feels like zipping down a hill on a bicycle with no hands. Textured arrangement and infectious rhythm whoosh through the room. Johnny Mandel/Peggy Lee’s “The Shining Sea” drifts in as ballad meets torch. “Rumor has it, it’s about Quincy Jones” – Conklin climbs inside the memory. She’s elsewhere in her head. Beautiful piano eddies.

A particularly original (and fine) arrangement of Cyndi Lauper/ Robert Hyman’s “Time After Time” is dark and dramatic with only a bit of its chorus recognizable. “Both writers were having relationship issues at the time.” ‘A melancholy call out into the empty night.

The second selection with which you might be familiar is “Learnin’ the Blues” (Dolores Vicki Silvers) which was covered by the likes of Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald and Bobby Dorough. “The tables are empty/The dance floor’s deserted/You play the same love song/It’s the tenth time you’ve heard it…” Bass provides swing then ballast. “The Party’s Over” (Jule Styne/ Betty Comden & Adolph Green) closes the set with a sympathetic vocal- we believe every word – though distractingly complex piano.

Mary Foster Conklin kneads lyrics. Performance is surely jazz, but thankfully never strays far from melody. Meaning is paramount.

Conklin’s radio show A Broad Spectrum, featuring women writers and vocalists Sundays on  WFDU.FM  HD2 3:00-5:00

A Woman’s Place is In the Groove: Mary Foster Conklin
Deanna Witkowski- piano
Tony DePaolis- bass

August 5, 2022

Photo by Rosemary Loar- Mary Foster Conklin, Tony DePaolis, Deanna Witkowski

Remember Pangea when you’re looking up music clubs. It’s an intimate, affordable venue with a good kitchen.

Pangea-  Second Avenue at 11th Street https://www.pangeanyc.com/