Elizabeth Lamers is the best music accident I ever had. I stumbled upon her years ago at Hotel Laguna. It was her on vocals with a guitarist doing The Great American Songbook – my favorite genre. I paid attention. The vocal-guitar jazz duet is tricky to uphold and they hit it out of the park. A little web research told me that I was I was right to take notice and right to keep catching her performances. She’s held some impressive company in the music world. For instance, here is a video of her singing with Linda Rondstadt. Elizabeth is wearing the green dress and is the best looking of the quartet. (the best looking people always share my tastes!)
You, too, can keep company with Elizabeth (and be good looking) at various venues around The OC. Her shows are intimate, she mingles with the audience during breaks and she is one of the nicest people you will ever meet.
But first, it is important to stress why The Great American Songbook matters. For the uninitiated, The Great American Songbook, also known as American standards, are the familiar songs you’ve heard performed by Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Doris Day, etc. Some of the noteworthy composers are Cole Porter, Ira Gershwin, Rogers & Hart and Hoagy Carmichael. These songs have been around a lot longer than rock and will continue to thrive as new generations discover them. The surest indication of cultural longevity is….longevity.
Singers and jazz musicians have been and will be drawn to the songbook and for good reason. The melodies are original, sophisticated and make for enjoyable interpretation. The lyrics are clever and have staying power. Old school rock musicians talk about the songbook in interviews and how their parents’ records got them hooked. It became a rite of passage for some of these established rock singers to issue recordings of American standards.
Unfortunately, some of those rock singers should NOT have issued those records! The Great American Songbook betrays a singer’s real capabilities or lack thereof. Sinatra, Bennet, Ella Fitzgerald et. al. were relentless about their craft. They practiced their scales every day and you can hear the results.
Which brings me back to Elizabeth Lamers. Her quality, dedication, warm tone and brilliant musicians will be obvious to you when you hear her sing. Here she is doing Gershwin’s How Long Has This Been Going On.
You can catch Elizabeth most Saturdays at Bacchus Bar, a lovely, wine-centric hideaway in Irvine. The shows are FREE. But don’t bother checking Bacchus’ event calendar. They don’t maintain one. Luckily, Elizabeth maintains a calendar on her website. An event that you must see is her upcoming performance at the Casino San Clemente Jazz Series on May 25. She will deliver on a double challenge: She will perform an homage to Anita O’Day AND be backed by a drummerless trio. O’Day was one of the most venerated jazz singers ever. O’Day’s pronunciation, control and phrasing were razor sharp. Judge for yourself in this 1958 video of Anita. Of course, what is not up for debate is how cool Anita O’Day was. She was in the Steve McQueen tier of cool! The audience looks pretty cool, too. Don’t you want those outfits and accessories?
Elizabeth Lamers will elevate your taste when it comes to Great American Songbook and what a night of live music can be. Catch these shows when you can. I have them listed in my calendar page.