Maureen McGovern, whose career spans 35 years, has earned the reputation for being one of America's most popular artists with a voice that defies categorization. From a jazzy, warm register, Maureen glides easily into
a crystalline coloratura. It is no wonder she has been called "The Stradivarius Voice."To quote Mel Tormé: "Maureen McGovern is, quite simply, the most glorious singer to come down the pike in several months of Sundays. Possessed of one
of the finest vocal instruments in the world, a range that hasn't been matched since Yma Sumac stunned us all decades ago, and the ability to softly breathe into a lyric or ‘read’ the words in a clear, strong voice, perfectly in tune; she is positively daunting to the parade of soubrettes who wish they could sing like Maureen McGovern. Add the fact that she is the loveliest of them all in form and face, and it is easy to understand why she is a world-class performer."Maureen appeared at The Hollywood Bowl and Chicago's Ravinia Festival in
A Tribute to Miss Peggy Lee. Maureen guest starred with Mel Tormé and Buddy Rich (in his last public performance) on Sentimental Swing: A Tribute to the Music of Tommy Dorsey.Variety said of her Le Jazz Au Bar performance, "McGovern has the most remarkable range and crisply tailored diction in town; and she offers a lesson in dynamics from her whispery take on "Nice 'n' Easy" to the sweaty seductiveness of "Fever." McGovern's wide-ranging scat singing and her sense of jazz phrasing is just another facet of her skillful vocal talents."She has performed in extensive cross-country tours with jazz great Mel Tormé, Mercer Ellington and the Duke Ellington Orchestra, and a 36-city tour with John Pizzarelli.
Ms. McGovern was first introduced to the jazz world as Mel Tormé's special guest for the legendary Kool Jazz Festival at Carnegie Hall. She has performed rare Gershwin songs with Dick Hyman in his Jazz in July series
in New York. Maureen performed in east and west coast tributes to Stephen Sondheim; in Sondheim & Jazz with Eddie Daniels, Terry Trotter and Oscar Castro-Neves at UCLA's Royce Hall and at Carnegie Hall for the JVC Jazz Festival's Sondheim & Jazz concert in duets with Ken Peplowski and Jackie Cain.To quote legendary jazz artist Roger Kellaway, "Maureen McGovern personifies the mind and heart in perfect balance, all the technical skills to tease the puzzle-makers, all the warmth to soothe your heart and soul."
Maureen has recorded with jazz greats Gary Burton, Dori Caymmi, Chick Corea, Terry Trotter, Mike Renzi and jazz bassist and songwriter, Jay Leonhart. Ms. McGovern was featured on Disney's Pulse, the IAJE live jazz concert recording where she stopped the show with her stratospheric, pyrotechnical version of "I'm Late!" Maureen appeared with Dame Cleo Laine, John Dankworth and the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra for the Mel Tormé Tribute at The Hollywood Bowl. Quoting Don Heckman of The LA Times: "...McGovern was
up to the task singing with astonishing musical facility. Her scatting on "I'm Late" and "Ding Dong the Witch Is Dead" was astounding. And her
a cappella rendering of "Skylark" (a tune some singers have difficulty delivering in tune even with accompaniment) was both a musical and a storytelling tour de force. Tormé would have loved every minute of her presentation."Highlights from her recording library include: Out Of This World: McGovern Sings Arlen, Maureen's Centennial Celebration tribute to the music of the great Harold Arlen, and The Music Never Ends: The Lyrics
of Alan and Marilyn Bergman. Both CDs feature new bonus cuts produced and recorded by Maureen. Her beloved Bergman tribute CD showcases the best of the Bergmans with music by jazz greats Michel Legrand, Roger Kellaway, Dave Grusin, Johnny Mandel, Dori Caymmi and Ivan Lins among others. Further highlights include: Naughty Baby: McGovern Sings Gershwin,
a live, in-studio concert and her Grammy nominated The Pleasure Of His Company with jazz pianist Mike Renzi. Maureen is featured singing a Brazilian jazz version "This Is Just The Day" on the Grammy winning, "Best Musical Recording for Children" CD/DVD, Songs from the Neighborhood: The Music of Mister Rogers.Maureen's current releases are: Help Is On the Way (in partnership with Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS) and Works of Heart: Songs of Hope featuring a newly recorded 30th Anniversary version of her signature Grammy nominated, #1 chart-topping, Oscar winning International Gold Record "The Morning After." This first-in-a-series CD is her gift of hope to individuals who face insurmountable odds and to address emotional and inspirational needs of patients and caregivers. Maureen is also an Artist Spokesperson for the American Music Therapy Association and is a National Board Member of the Muscular Dystrophy Association.
Ira Gitler in London Jazz Express said, "...if I put a name on what she does,
in whichever of the many categories where she may be found, I'd have to call her 'sensational'... incredibly versatile, tremendously talented and vastly entertaining."Stephen Holden in The New York Times wrote: "Maureen McGovern is a singer who moves comfortably from jazz to soaring movie themes and from classical pop standards to operetta... a coloratura jazz singer at ease in any medium.”
For the most current updated information, please go to:
MM PRODUCTIONS, INC.
8530 Wilshire Blvd., Ste. #200, Beverly Hills, CA 90211
Jennifer Howe, Company/Tour Manager (763) 767-4054; E: howemminc@aol.com
Fall 2007
