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Listen to Bay Area jazz on KSJS (90.5 FM)
to win free concert tickets to Lisa’s show at the Red Poppy Art House!
Lisa’s “White Wedding” is the Song of the Day!
Enjoy the video!
“More than a song stylist, she’s a dramatic force.”
-Andrew Gilbert, San Jose Mercury News
“You have not heard this voice, trust me.”
-Roger Atkinson, JAM Magazine
Caravan named “Best of 2010“
by the Jazz Journalists Association
View Top 10 Lists !
Blessed with superlative power, control and range. Engelken can, as mood requires, be as soft as dew or as intense as a sleet storm; her interpretive instincts are astounding.
LISTEN TO CARAVAN on Pandora.com.
CARAVAN features 10 of Lisa’s fresh arrangements of standards, Brazilian, and contemporary selections by such varied composers as Tizol & Ellington, Joni Mitchell, Baden Powell, Cole Porter and Billy Idol.In addition, Caravan includes “From the Earth,” a new lyric version of Freddie Hubbard’s jazz-funk classic Red Clay. Mr. Hubbard recorded the landmark Red Clay album 40 years ago, and Lisa was inspired to revisit its title track. She is grateful to have received Mr. Hubbard’s personal review and permission to release “From the Earth” – one of the last works approved by the late-great trumpeter himself.
New YOUTUBE VIDEO from the folks at ZuZu Graphics in San Francisco.
Journalist Steve Palopoli Creates Exciting New Verb: “Engelkenized”
“…And [Billy] Idol isn’t the only artist that gets Engelkenized on her most recent record Caravan …” Read Review
NEWS FROM THE ROAD: Lisa said she’d stay put, but ended up in Los Angeles for a few fine days in September, writing and recording two new tracks with engineer/composer Steve McCormick, producer Sandra Bishop and multi-instrumentalist Peter Fox. The fab four collaborated and created in real time. “Tuesday Blues,” part West-Coast jazz -part Angelo Badalamenti (David Lynch) and “Your Dreams,” described by Bishop as “Radio Head meets Johnny Cash.” The track “Your Dreams” will be included in the “Moonlight Project,” conceived by author and photojournalist Seanie Blue and the aforementioned cohorts. Stay tuned for more!
Lisa continues to write and and arrange new works for her new album “Anima Explorations.” It’s the home stretch, folks: finalizing arrangements and compiling the tunes that will make it into the studio. Like Santa Clause, she i making the list and checking it twice.
Jardine’s Joint was jumping in Kansas City on Friday night, June 24th– a packed house delighted in seeing Lisa perform with Roger Wilder, pno; Gerald Spaits, bass; Matt Swindells, drums; and Stan Kessler, trmpt.
The week before, Lisa’s show at Dazzle Jazz in Denver was off the hook– Saturday, 6/18- two shows with a stellar band that included SF drummer Matt Swindells and Denver’s finest: Al Hood, trumpet; Steve Denny, piano; and Ken Walker, bass.
Lisa just performed two exhilarating concerts debuting new music from her “Anima Exploration” project at ArtSpace 4500 (SF) and at the Jazzschool in Berkeley. The shows featured Lisa’s originals and new arrangements of tunes by such artists as George Harrison, Wayne Shorter, Abbey Lincoln & the Cars.
San Jose Jazz presented Lisa in April as part of the Wednesday Night Concert Series at the Fairmont. The jazz audience was warm and responsive and once again proved why San Jose is one of Lisa’s favorite cities to play.
In March, Lisa opened the 2011 concert season with the debut of her originals and arrangements. The house was literally packed- a warm audience filled with open hearts and minds: another truly magical event at the Red Poppy Art House! Lisa is currently writing & developing new material for performance in 2011 entitled “Anima Explorations,” with plans to record in Fall 2011.
In February, Lisa traveled to Washington, DC to do an impromptu show and to edit concert footage of her two East Coast concert events last November in DC and New York City. Special thanks to The Deej in Washington DC for a fabulous sold-out show at the Underground Theatre. Never was there such a screaming, dancing, enthusiastic crowd in attendance at a jazz event! And, thank you, Faunee WPFW Radio Host (89.3 FM, Washington, DC), for blessing the magical event with her powerful vibe and presence. Lisa would like to thank Sandra Bishop, Seanie Blue, Riccardo and Matt Neufeld for the brilliant video and photography that they shot.
THANK YOU: SFJAZZ Organization for presenting Lisa’s powerhouse performance at SummerFest 2010 in Levi’ Plaza, San Francisco in October (A sultry photo by Caitlin Burke really captures the steam & vibe of the daytime concert.).And….happy 2011 new year with gratitude to all of you who attended the sold-out concert events at ARTspace 4500 and Red Poppy Art House (SF), Denver’s Dazzle Jazz and the Jazzschool in Berkeley and the raucous performance that closed the 2010 Fillmore Jazz Festival!
[Check out the COOL Video from the Fillmore Jazz Fest, featuring a colorful collage of festival images shot on a sunny July 4th day-- and set to the music of the Lisa Engelken Band LIVE!]
“Don’t miss Lisa live cuz her shows are awesome!”
Erin Gray, columnist for the Monterey Herald, describes Engelken’s live performance as…
“BOLD, lush, exotic and just a little bit dangerous, like waves of sound and heat: EVEL KNEIVEL and
JANIS JOPLIN. Like Evel, she is a fearless daredevil, but never reckless, knowing exactly whether her voice can jump through a ring of fire and over 30 elephants – or whether it can go for 31. And like Janis, she gives every ounce of herself onstage.”
CARAVAN reviewed:Caravan, the title cut, is indeed a revamp of the harmonies and arrangements of Debussy and the British alt-pop band Radiohead. Only Lisa E. could conspire to combine those two influences so effectively. Add singer, composer and producer Lisa Engelken to that pantheon of great jazz artists. Caravan will stand the test of time and is a harbinger of more great music to come.
-Eric Smith, Arts & Entertainment Editor, BeyondChron.org
Directly support Lisa’s work: order here!CARAVAN is available for download at iTunes & cdbaby.com.Caravan is also available in-store at Groove Yard Records, 5555 claremont avenue, oakland, ca.
CONCERT REVIEW: CD Release Event in Denver, CO:
“…It’s not easy to stand out as a female jazz singer: singers are nearly as ubiquitous as Harleys at Sturgis. It takes a little something to stand out from the crowd. Like at Sturgis, bigger and louder won’t necessarily do the trick. It might take a little finesse, a little nuance, maybe a bit of panache. If you add all that together and mix in some genuine creativity, you may have found Lisa Engelken.“Engelken veered across a wide emotional spectrum so broad it could serve as a case study for manic depression. From joy to sadness to nonchalance and numerous points in between, Engelken bared her soul on stage. She put it on the line in the context of jazz standards that she arranged for herself.“Time and again, she came up with a fresh look at those old chestnuts. ‘Caravan’ was a highlight and a case in point. Her arrangement of that one started off slowly, almost like a tone poem. Eventually, the pace increased to a gentle swing in 3/4 time and finished with an extended jam in 7/4 time. Not exactly your father’s Ellington.”Geoff Anderson, KUVO FM (July 29, 2010)BOOKING & INFORMATION: info@lisaengelken.com