Connie Evingson, Jazz-Vocalist from Minneapolis

By Doug MacRostie. You know that saying, "It's not WHAT you said, it's HOW you said it!"? The same thing applies to singing; it's not what you sing, it's how you sing it. Tone, fluctuation, breathing; all of it can change the mood of a lyric. Minneapolis Jazz-vocalist Connie Evingson continues to put that extra something into her voice - giving the lyrics life, meaning and definitely setting the mood. "I've often wished I could be a painter, because I would really like to be able to create visual art. And singing for me is kind of like painting in the sense that you are using texture, you're using color, in a way. Color in the vocal tone - it's an expression." Connie will be my guest this week on Centerstage MN. Originally from Hibbing, her latest album is music of jazz legend, and St. Paul native, Dave Frishberg called "Little Did I Dream." Not only did Dave Frishberg write the music, but he also accompanies on piano. From some seriously upbeat swing to slow and moving ballads, this album flows through the full range of emotion and presentation with Connie's beautiful voice leading the way. There is a reason her 8 albums with Minnehaha have charted in the top 50 in both the U.S. and Canada.