THE LISA ENGELKEN BAND: Anima Explorations, Pt. II

Extraordinary singer, songwriter and arranger Lisa Engelken is a Kansas-born, straight-shooter, known for a fearless stage presence that has garnered her comparisons to Evel Kneivel, Janis Joplin and a roaring Harley Davidson motorbike.

Classically and theatrically trained, Engelken has shared the stage with greats such as Yo La Tengo, John Cameron Mitchell, Stephen Trask, Greg Brown, T-Bone Burnett and Tom Waits.  Equal parts freight train, junkyard trombone and tumbleweed, Engelken alternately locomotes and floats through tunes.

Lisa returns to the Red Poppy after last Spring’s sold-out event that premiered her new project Anima Explorations.

Lisa performs with a new band that features some of the most daring and innovative in the Bay Area.  Together they will embark on the new adventure:  Part II of Anima Explorations, debuts Lisa’s new compositions and arrangements as a continued exploration through voice and harmony of the opposing forces that wrestle inside each of us.

Lisa plans to record the Anima Project in Spring 2012, in follow up to Caravan 2010).  Produced and arranged by Engelken, Caravan features 10 fresh takes on Jazz standards and Brazilian tunes, while boldly adapting songs by Billy Idol and Joni Mitchell into the Jazz idiom. The album also includes “From the Earth” a new lyric version of Freddie Hubbard’s Jazz-Funk classic “Red Clay.”  The album was named among the “Best of 2010” by the Jazz Journalists Association.

Lisa Engelken: vocals
Gerry Grosz: vibraphone & piano
Dan Feiszli: bass
Matt Swindells: drums
Special Guest Rob Reich: accordian

“She is an utter original.  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.” – Christopher Loudon,  Jazz Times

“Caravan is the work of an artist with her own sound and concept, a daring improviser with the technique to express even her most unorthodox ideas. More than a song stylist, she’s a dramatic force.” –  Andrew Gilbert, San Jose Mercury

“The title cut Caravan 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
“Caravan is exceptional by any standard.  A winning display of imagination and freedom, her radical interpretation is what jazz is supposed to be about.” – Ink Magazine

“Bold, lush, exotic and just a little bit dangerous, like waves of sound and heat: Evel Knievel 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 31. And like Janis, she gives every ounce of herself onstage.” – Erin Gray, columnist for The Monterey Herald
“This is a winner, pure and simple. Savor it all.” – Ken Franckling, Jazz Notes

“You have not heard this voice, trust me.”  – Roger Atkinson, JAM Magazine

http://www.lisaengelken.com
http://daily-songs.com/2011/11/18/white-wedding-by-lisa-engelken/


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqtqaqGYjoQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvj3UhJ1ETo

$12-$20 admission.  Doors at 7:30 pm.  Show at 8:00 pm.