It is such a thrill to see Liza still thriving and doing great work at 64, many of her personal troubles seemingly behind her. Here is an excerpt from what clearly was a very fun interview:
PC: Your new album, CONFESSIONS, is divine and sublime. It’s so intimate and cool.
LM: Thank you. I loved making it.
PC: I heard you recorded a lot of while recovering from back surgery.
LM: I did!
PC: It gives new meaning to “Liza’s Back!”
LM: Oh, that’s too funny! (Laughs.)
PC: I am in love with the first song and the last song most of all.
LZ: Oh, really? They’re both so great.
PC: The last song we’ll get to in a minute – “At Last” – but, first things first: could you tell me about that fantastically risqué first song – which became the title of the album itself – “Confession”?
LM: OK. In 1960, maybe late fifty-something, my father was working with Judy Holliday. In BELLS ARE RINGING.
PC: Yes, yes. A great Jule Styne show.
LM: And she had just made her first album with Jerry Mulligan. And that was one of the songs on her album. And I just loved it.
PC: Oh, I’ve never heard that Judy Holliday album.
LM: Oh, you’ve got the world at your fingertips [with the internet]! You’ve GOT to get that album!
PC: I will, I will. I promise!
LM: OK! You better! (Laughs.)
PC: On the new album, CONFESSIONS, you re-invent “At Last” which was most recently performed to great acclaim by your friend Beyonce.
LM: Yeah, right. I loved the song. I always did. But, I wondered… I thought, “If you do it – you have to do it differently.” So, what hasn’t been done? So, then I thought, “Nobody smiles.”
PC: Like Louis Armstrong‘s version of “What A Wonderful World”, so, too, does your version bring a smile to the heart, face and ear! That’s the best comparison.
LM: Oh, thank you! I’m so glad you liked it.
