By Melody Breyer Grell****What do you get when you match the lyrics of a member of the “Hippest Generation” (Fran Landesman) with the music by a man coming from the “Greatest Generation” (Bob Dorough)? Magic, as presented by Mary Foster Conklin.
Although Foster Conklin’s show is dedicated to Landesman’s poetic, sharp and humorous lyrics, it must be noted that another one of our national treasures, the late Bob Dorough—singer, actor, mulit-instrumentalist, Army veteran, Columbia grad student and composer of many jazz standards (he also notably composed for the educational classic, School House Rock.) Dorough was one of Landesman’s most influential composing partners, following the great Tommy Wolf.
Dorough Met Landesman in St. Louis, where she and her husband, Jay, ran the cabaret/theatre space, The Chrystal Palace, originally the venue for the “Beatnik” musical, The Nervous Set. At the time Bob met Fran, the club was running “A Walk on the Wild Side. When Fran asked Bob to set some of her lyrics to music, he almost balked, knowing that her main partner in crime was composer, Tommy Wolf. Bob said, “Won’t Tommy be jealous? Her answer was that she wrote so much he couldn’t keep up with her. I, of course, later cleared it with Tommy.”
If anyone could have come from a more different background than Bob Dorough, it was Fran Landesman. She, a New York-born, Jewish gal, met Robert Lrod Dorough, born in Arkansas and raised in Texas. The music they made was definitely American.
A gracious man, Bob and I once shared a table at a packed jazz club before I knew Dorough was the composer of “I’ve Got a Small Day Tomorrow” (an evocative, noirish ballad, sung by Foster Conklin with melancholy resignation, fronted by a strong exterior). Any naivety I might have exhibited was met with a smile and a nod. He was good folks and recently passed away at home, ninety-three years old, on April 23, 2018.
Mary told many anecdotes of Landesman to her enthralled audience. A striking poet, as well as lyricist, the queen of the Beat Generation had to fight off the likes of the handsome Beat icon Jack Kerouac, to land in a sixty-one-year “open marriage” to Jay Landesman. And they had children! Involved in a lifestyle that most couples could not, or would want to pull off, her writing was as cutting edge as were her domestic affairs.
Foster Conklin includes other composers in her brew, most notably the aforementioned Tommy Wolf. Landesman’s masterful lyrics to Wolf’s standards, “Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most” and “The Ballad of the Sad Young Men,” differ greatly in style and content. The former is a tune of simple, yet unbearable loneliness and the latter, most interestingly enough, does not merely tell of the sad young men, but offered a knowing nod to the “tired” women who prop them up. An early feminist gem, or a knowing observation of mortality? Some people believe the song was a comment on closeted homosexuality. Landesman covered it all.
The night contained plenty of light material as well, even though the pieces often ended with a twist. “Nice Weather For Ducks,” (also Tommy Wolf’s music) was a primo example of that wittiness.
Ms. Conklin educates, amuses and most importantly, entertains with her intelligent interpretations and sharp rhythmic sense, while possessing a unique voice containing a shimmering vibrato and light-hued sound. She was joined by vocalist John diPinto, assisting with a couple of duets.
Conklin’s pianist, John diMartino, always an inventive and flexible player, has continued growing as an accompanist. His changes fit right in to Conklin’s voice and there was not a dissonant note, as diMartino’s gentle flourishes were always used to serve the music. The trio was rounded out by the able bassist, Ed Howard.
Once again Pangea, the “Jewel of the East Village,” offered a night of exceptional entertainment, delicious food and congenial service.
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