About

Mary Foster Conklin

JAZZ VOCALIST / RADIO HOST

New single - Some Cats Know (Mirrors Version) out November 14

Check out the new single (and more) on Bandcamp and come out to hear the music live if you're in the New York Area.

Featuring John Di Martino on piano, Sara Caswell on violin, Ed Howard on bass, Vince Cherico on drums and Guilherme Monteiro on guitar.  Just before the pandemic we explored a unique catalogue of Leiber and Stoller art songs first recorded by Peggy Lee on the album MIRRORS in 1975 after winning a Grammy for "Is That All There Is?"  To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the release of the original project, I will present an encore performance of Mirrors Revisited in NYC at Urban Stages Winter Rhythms Festival on December 11 plus release a new single of Some Cats Know (with the verse) on November 14 for your listening pleasure. Please follow me on Bandcamp and check it out.

 

Reviews for These Precious Days (MockTurtle Music)

“A winning new collection of songs… by a vocalist equally effective on suspects usual and otherwise… The contrast between Conklin’s smoky voice and Caswell’s bright, sharply defined tone often imbues the arrangements with concentrated drama.” Andrew Gilbert, JAZZTIMES

"Conklin’s rich vocal sound adds strength to the lyrics of the songs she sings and there is an undercurrent of jazz phrasing in her intense delivery. The instrumentalists here are collaborators rather than accompanists and pianist John Di Martino and violinist Sara Caswell both have several very good solos. There’s much to admire here and this album will have broad appeal." (Bruce Crowther, Jazz Journal)

“A provocative recording. Conklin's voice is friendly, often sardonic, but always welcoming. An embarrassment of riches is MFC.” (C Michael Bailey, WildMercuryRhythm.com)

Praised as "a sensitive artist (but not frail) with a wide-ranging boldly colored voice and an open ear for off-beat material" (Washington Post), Conklin is a master storyteller with a talent for uncovering songs deserving more attention.   She hosts a weekly radio show celebrating women writers called "A Broad Spectrum - The Ladies of Jazz" which streams online at WFDU.FM HD2 every Sunday from 3-5pm ET.

 

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MUSIC

 Available at iTunes, Amazon, Bandcamp, Barnes & Noble

These Precious Days

Mary Foster Conklin

Buy album
This project is about love, loss and the power of the Now – my response to the deep disruption of the past few years, which began before the pandemic. It begins with a restless Latin arrangement of a Leonard Cohen tune Read more
This project is about love, loss and the power of the Now – my response to the deep disruption of the past few years, which began before the pandemic. It begins with a restless Latin arrangement of a Leonard Cohen tune about weathering heartbreak and ends with a tender piano/violin arrangement of September Song, dedicated to my Dad, whose death in 2018 was a catalyst for the project. The arrangements are by pianist John diMartino and the band includes Sara Caswell on violin, Ed Howard on bass, Vince Cherico on drums and Guilherme Monteiro on guitar. Just before the pandemic we worked together on a unique catalogue of Leiber and Stoller art songs. As the world evolves into a new chapter where nothing is as it was, we explore what’s ahead with music by Melba Liston, Melissa Manchester, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Fran Landesman, Andre & Dory Previn and more.
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    Summertime 3:18
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    Some Cats Know 4:05
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Shows

Live performances are slowly starting to come back, but you can tune in every Sunday to my radio show streaming on the internet at WFDU.FM

Date Event Location
 — (EDT, UTC-04)  — (EDT, UTC-04) A Broad Spectrum - The Ladies Of Jazz on WFDU.FM HD2 WFDU 89.1 FM Fairleigh Dickinson University, Teaneck WFDU 89.1 FM Fairleigh Dickinson University, Teaneck
 — (EDT, UTC-04)  — (EDT, UTC-04) A Broad Spectrum - The Ladies Of Jazz on WFDU.FM HD2 WFDU 89.1 FM Fairleigh Dickinson University, Teaneck WFDU 89.1 FM Fairleigh Dickinson University, Teaneck
 — (EDT, UTC-04)  — (EDT, UTC-04) A Broad Spectrum - The Ladies Of Jazz on WFDU.FM HD2 WFDU 89.1 FM Fairleigh Dickinson University, Teaneck WFDU 89.1 FM Fairleigh Dickinson University, Teaneck
 — (EDT, UTC-04)  — (EDT, UTC-04) A Broad Spectrum - The Ladies Of Jazz on WFDU.FM HD2 WFDU 89.1 FM Fairleigh Dickinson University, Teaneck WFDU 89.1 FM Fairleigh Dickinson University, Teaneck
 — (EDT, UTC-04)  — (EDT, UTC-04) A Broad Spectrum - The Ladies Of Jazz on WFDU.FM HD2 WFDU 89.1 FM Fairleigh Dickinson University, Teaneck WFDU 89.1 FM Fairleigh Dickinson University, Teaneck
 — (EDT, UTC-04)  — (EDT, UTC-04) A Broad Spectrum - The Ladies Of Jazz on WFDU.FM HD2 WFDU 89.1 FM Fairleigh Dickinson University, Teaneck WFDU 89.1 FM Fairleigh Dickinson University, Teaneck
Mary Foster Conklin Mezzrow Jazz Club, New York Mezzrow Jazz Club, New York
 — (EDT, UTC-04)  — (EDT, UTC-04) A Broad Spectrum - The Ladies Of Jazz on WFDU.FM HD2 WFDU 89.1 FM Fairleigh Dickinson University, Teaneck WFDU 89.1 FM Fairleigh Dickinson University, Teaneck
 — (EDT, UTC-04)  — (EDT, UTC-04) A Broad Spectrum - The Ladies Of Jazz on WFDU.FM HD2 WFDU 89.1 FM Fairleigh Dickinson University, Teaneck WFDU 89.1 FM Fairleigh Dickinson University, Teaneck
 — (EDT, UTC-04)  — (EDT, UTC-04) A Broad Spectrum - The Ladies Of Jazz on WFDU.FM HD2 WFDU 89.1 FM Fairleigh Dickinson University, Teaneck WFDU 89.1 FM Fairleigh Dickinson University, Teaneck
 — (EDT, UTC-04)  — (EDT, UTC-04) A Broad Spectrum - The Ladies Of Jazz on WFDU.FM HD2 WFDU 89.1 FM Fairleigh Dickinson University, Teaneck WFDU 89.1 FM Fairleigh Dickinson University, Teaneck
 — (EDT, UTC-04)  — (EDT, UTC-04) A Broad Spectrum - The Ladies Of Jazz on WFDU.FM HD2 WFDU 89.1 FM Fairleigh Dickinson University, Teaneck WFDU 89.1 FM Fairleigh Dickinson University, Teaneck
 — (EDT, UTC-04)  — (EDT, UTC-04) A Broad Spectrum - The Ladies Of Jazz on WFDU.FM HD2 WFDU 89.1 FM Fairleigh Dickinson University, Teaneck WFDU 89.1 FM Fairleigh Dickinson University, Teaneck
 — (EDT, UTC-04)  — (EDT, UTC-04) A Broad Spectrum - The Ladies Of Jazz on WFDU.FM HD2 WFDU 89.1 FM Fairleigh Dickinson University, Teaneck WFDU 89.1 FM Fairleigh Dickinson University, Teaneck
 — (EDT, UTC-04)  — (EDT, UTC-04) A Broad Spectrum - The Ladies Of Jazz on WFDU.FM HD2 WFDU 89.1 FM Fairleigh Dickinson University, Teaneck WFDU 89.1 FM Fairleigh Dickinson University, Teaneck
 — (EDT, UTC-04)  — (EDT, UTC-04) A Broad Spectrum - The Ladies Of Jazz on WFDU.FM HD2 WFDU 89.1 FM Fairleigh Dickinson University, Teaneck WFDU 89.1 FM Fairleigh Dickinson University, Teaneck
 — (EDT, UTC-04)  — (EDT, UTC-04) A Broad Spectrum - The Ladies Of Jazz on WFDU.FM HD2 WFDU 89.1 FM Fairleigh Dickinson University, Teaneck WFDU 89.1 FM Fairleigh Dickinson University, Teaneck
 — (EDT, UTC-04)  — (EDT, UTC-04) A Broad Spectrum - The Ladies Of Jazz on WFDU.FM HD2 WFDU 89.1 FM Fairleigh Dickinson University, Teaneck WFDU 89.1 FM Fairleigh Dickinson University, Teaneck
 — (EDT, UTC-04)  — (EDT, UTC-04) A Broad Spectrum - The Ladies Of Jazz on WFDU.FM HD2 WFDU 89.1 FM Fairleigh Dickinson University, Teaneck WFDU 89.1 FM Fairleigh Dickinson University, Teaneck
 — (EDT, UTC-04)  — (EDT, UTC-04) A Broad Spectrum - The Ladies Of Jazz on WFDU.FM HD2 WFDU 89.1 FM Fairleigh Dickinson University, Teaneck WFDU 89.1 FM Fairleigh Dickinson University, Teaneck
View previous events
“Conklin lends a sultry self-assurance in moods both hot and cool, swaggering with a sly poet’s percussiveness in Joni Mitchell’s “Night in the City” and crooning with velvety sophistication on “Moonglow.” - Brian Zimmerman

— Downbeat

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