Biography Lisa Engelken

Jazz vocal release "Caravan" by Lisa Engelken named to the "Best of 2010" by the Jazz Journalists Association.

LISA ENGELKEN is a unique, fearless jazz artist and arranger on the scene today.

Christopher Loudon jazz critic for Jazz Times writes:

"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."

ENGELKEN wields an acrobatic 3-octave range and daunts her audience with a fearless stage presence-- and has garnered comparisions to Janis Joplin, Evel Knievel and even a roaring Harley Davidson motobike!

Lisa produced and arranged all 10 tracks on "Caravan" released in 2010. Her fresh arrangements breathe new life into the standards and Brazilian tunes, and boldly transforms contemporary songs by Billy Idol and Joni Mitchell into the jazz idiom.

"Caravan" also includes "From the Earth", a new lyric version of the jazz-funk classic "Red Clay" by the late-great trumpeter Freddie Hubbard.

Theatrically trained, Engelken's stage roles include her award-winning performance as Yitzhak in the rock musical "Hedwig & the Angry Inch"). Her stage experience translates into a passionate and dynamic performance each and every time she hits the stage.

Lisa has been Influenced by a wide variety of musical genres and sets herself apart with an almost visceral need to convey a song’s story not only through the lyric but through vocal attack, arrangement, and harmony.

"Musical tones have very distinct colors and can be used to paint a sort of 'sonic picture.'

And there is no reason why that sonic canvas should be limited by tradition or set 'rules' of genre.

I find musical 'mutts' much more fun, much more interesting."

Lisa currently resides in San Francisco, having moved from New York and DC. She has lived in Italy and is fluent in Italian. She routinely peppers her repertoire with French, Portuguese, Spanish and Italian.

Website: www.lisaengelken.com

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