Little Did I Dream

With the release of Little Did I Dream (2008, Minnehaha Music), the reigning “swing queen” of hot club music in the Twin Cities cuts no corners in reminding us that she is an artist of diverse tastes and talents. Over her career, Connie Evingson has explored a wide range of music, from Peggy Lee to Hoagy Carmichael to John Lennon, as well as her recent foray into the era of Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli. Connie's latest recording celebrates her collaboration with one of the nation’s most beloved and acclaimed songwriters, David Frishberg.

Connie and the Daves

A native of Hibbing in northern Minnesota’s Iron Range, Connie Evingson grew up listening to her father’s records of Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Joe Williams, Tony Bennett, Lambert, Hendricks and Ross, and later Peggy Lee and Shirley Horn. Influenced by these early muses as well as the musical icons of her generation (the Beatles, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Sting, Bonnie Raitt), Connie’s eclectic tastes were soon evident, from her first club gig at the old Night Train in St. Paul to a brief stint with the Minnesota Vocal Jazz Ensemble before she joined Moore By Four in 1986. With Moore by Four, Connie performed and toured the world throughout the late 80s and 90s, often opening for the biggest stars in music. In the past decade, her career as a soloist has included six CDs for Minnehaha Music, her most releases charting on Jazzweek's Top 50 for extended periods. Long regarded as among the top echelon of jazz artists in the Midwest and nominated as Jazz Week’s Vocalist of the Year in 2005, Connie’s back-to-back recordings of hot club swing (Gypsy in My Soul, Stockholm Sweetnin’) brought renewed attention to the genre and led to performances at Jazz Alley in Seattle, Blues Alley in Washington, DC and appearances in Europe.

Dave FRishberg and Connie Evingson©Andrea Canter

Although he may prefer to be just a “sideman,” ASCAP Living Jazz Legend and Grammy-nominated pianist/singer/songwriter David Frishberg has attracted a near-cult-like following over his multi-faceted career. Originally working in the shadow of jazz legends like Ben Webster and Gene Krupa, Frishberg the pianist morphed into Frishberg the songwriter, gaining fame with such gems as “Peel Me a Grape,” “Blizzard of Lies,” “My Attorney Bernie,” and, of course, “I Want to be a Sideman.” A native of St. Paul, Frishberg moved to New York in the late 1950s, later to LA, and has been a Portland, OR resident for the past two decades.

Dave Karr and Dave Frishberg©Andrea Canter

Little Did I Dream

In the name of full disclosure, I admit to playing a very small role in this production. Connie invited me to observe one of the sessions at Creation Audio, and watching the interactions and discussions among the musicians offered an expanded view of the work that goes into a recording—from the planning of the arrangement of each tune to the sound tweaking as directed by recording engineer Steve Wiese. A few photos from that session ended up on the CD liner. Nevertheless, I claim independent appreciation for the resulting recording!

Phil Hey, Dave Karr, Dave Frishberg, Gordon Johnson, Connie Evingson©Andrea Canter

With the music of Johnny Mandel filling the title track, the CD starts on an upbeat note, as if Connie and Dave are welcoming listeners to the whole set. The band swings thoroughly, Karr’s sax literally bounces off the track while Fisbherg’s keyboard skills have lost none of the dexterity and joyfulness that has been his trademark. Gordy and Phil keep the pulse solid and supportive, from this first track through to the last. On “Peel Me a Grape,” Connie is part sultry, part sassy—perhaps the attitude she sells best, and her interplay with the band, particularly with the piano, adds to the attitude. Gordy Johnson is particularly a complementary color here, with a solo that bobs and weaves as a perfect alter ego to the vocalist. “Our Love Rolls On” is a hopeful love song, and Dave Karr proves to be a sweet romantic. Phil Hey’s brushwork keeps it sublime—the love keeps rolling on.

Dave Frishberg©Andrea Canter

Another challenging tune, Connie handles the fast and furious lyrics of “Can’t Take You Nowhere” (music by Kahn and Cohn) like a vocal gymnast, never losing a syllable. Mark Henderson joins the band on alto, sending up a firm swinging net first for Frishberg and then for Gordy Johnson, who solos as if extending a dialogue among his bandmates. Connie’s scat skills are at the forefront here as she seamlessly moves from scat to the lyric. And Connie’s command of lyrics shines most brightly on one of Frishberg’s most beloved songs, “I Want to Be a Sideman.” Giving the tune a wryly humorous lilt, Connie’s scatted verse mimics Dave Karr’s horn, including some garrulous growls. Her phrasing highlights the rhyme across lyric segments—these are good lyrics to start with and Connie elevates the words to brilliance.

One of the more interesting tracks is “Zoot Walks In” (Frishberg’s lyrics, music by Gerry Mulligan and Zoot Sims). With narration by Dave Karr, this one is like an old radio show with a recitation of the lyrics over Phil Hey’s percussion. How does such a small ensemble create such a big band era sound? On alto, Mark Henderson takes the first solo and the higher register gives the tune a bright lift while setting up a spritely solo from Frishberg. I had not really thought of Connie fronting a big band, but it’s clear from this track that such a collaboration would work well.

Dave FRishberg&copyAndrea Canter

The disc closes with “Listen Here”, a tune Dave wrote for the Mary Tyler Moore Show. A lush ballad, the band frequently drops out to highlight Connie’s voice, although Dave Karr (on tenor) deserves co-billing here. It’s a sublime ending to a recording that covers the full range of emotion and musicianship.

Little did we dream that the world of Dave Frishberg was so well suited to the voice of Connie Evingson.

CD ordering information available at www.connieevingson.com