Rhys Conklin
A Night of Songs You Can’t Rhys-ist
Don’t Tell Mama, NYC, February 22, 2023
Reviewed by Bart Greenberg
Rhys Conkllin is an attractive performer with an impressive, flexible voice. She’s also a fair saxophonist. She also has a great many talented friends who took part in her evening at Don’t Tell Mama. She evidently has even more friends who packed the room and expressed love for everything she did. Unfortunately, this resulted in a hectic and not well-paced show filled with cryptic comments that only her inner circle would appreciate along with some strange sloppiness. There were constant references to “last year’s show,” as if this were the next episode in a streaming program, and she introduced all her guest stars by first name only, as when she was promoting a trio’s upcoming release without mentioning who they were.
There were certainly highlights during the evening. Conklin showed off a full range of talent with her interpretation of “I Could Have Danced All Night,” first in a 1950’s girl singer arrangement (imagine Connie Francis), then as a sax solo, and then seamlessly shifting to a burnished high soprano for a traditional climax. On the up-tempo, rockish “Young Kind of Love,” she exhibited enviable enunciation, as she clearly and quickly delivered every lyric. And she showed some dramatic skill in “I Say No” (even if she did introduce it by saying “the next song is f*****g strange”; so was that introduction). She was also very generous in sharing the stage with her talented friends.
Among her guests were the previously mentioned trio of Sarah, Jordan, and Adam (on acoustic guitar) who offered a witty original tune, “Hair Care,” and William, who joined Conklin on an effective mash up “Spark of Creation” and “Something’s Coming,” although the latter certainly stretched William up to the very top of his range. However, he redeemed himself with a powerful solo on “Marry Me a Little.” There was also Prez, who dashed across the stage and to the piano as he playfully stripped to “Out Tonight,” and Nathan who duetted on a passionate “All the Wasted Time.” William and Sarah returned to join Conklin in a rendition of an amusing tune she had written, “Cheesy Love Song.”
Unfortunately, with all those people coming and going and fighting their way through the audience and with Conklin putting on and taking off her saxophone, there was a good deal of dead time. The only one who stayed in place was music director/pianist Abel Garriga, who provided fine support throughout. Because there was no theme or concept to hold the show together, the energy was dissipated, and the evening seemed considerably longer than it actually was. With some forethought and perhaps a director, these issues could be avoided the next time Conklin takes the stage.
