CD Review: Mary Foster Conklin."These Precious Days"

 

Jazz Vocalist and radio host Mary Foster Conklin has released her fifth album, "These Precious Days" in February of this year.  The  theme of this CD features mostly outstanding women composers plus a mix of lessor-known but terrific Jazz and Pop tunes.  

Conklin has been playing music that celebrates women composers and lyricists on her radio show, called "A Broad Spectrum-the Ladies of Jazz", since 2016.  The program streams online every Sunday on WFDU.FM's HD2 channel at http://www.wfdu.fm which is broadcast from Farleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey.

Mary Foster Conklin has a strong, clear voice and she has a real focus on the lyrics in the songs she selects. Her phrasing and understanding of the meaning of the lyric of every song she sings makes listening to her a real pleasure.  Master oil painters have often said that you need to have a connection to any painting you work on or it will project no emotional message.  The same is true for singing,  the very best Vocalists have an emotional connection with the the lyric.  Mary Foster Conklin not only sings songs that have lyrics she can relate too, she also chooses melodies that inspire her.  Both of these personal requirements show up on her new CD, "These Precious Days".  The collection of songs is wonderful and satisfiying to the listener.

I selected two songs on the album to attach for your listening pleasure that really appealed to me.  The first is "Summertime" but it's not the Gershwin classic.  This song was written by the great poet, Leonard Cohen and Sharon Robinson.  Conklin sings this song like she is telling her own story.   The second one is a relatively unknown song written by Dory Previn and her x-husband Andre Previn set to a samba tempo.  

Conklin has invited some very high-level musicians to join her on this CD.  John Di Martino is on Piano and wrote all the arrangements.  Sara Caswell plays violin and will be heard on the first cut, "Summertime".  Ed Howard on Bass, Vince Cherico on Drums, Guilherme Monteiro on Guitar and Samuel Torres on Percussion.

PLAYLIST:

1. Summertime

2. Some Cats Know

3. Just A Little Lovin

4. Come in From the Rain

5. Scars

6. Just For Now

7. A Little White Ship

8. Heart's Desire

9. Rainbow

10. Until It's time for You to Go

11. September Song   

 

   "Summertime"

                                                          

                                                                     "Just For Now"