Femme Fatale:The Music of Film Noir

Here Lies Love is Kansas City native Laura Ellis’ debut on King Records. Ellis donates the entire run of this recording to the likes of jazz greats Dinah Washington and Sarah Vaughn and throws in a tribute to Anita O’Day along the way. She gives her own unique and sophisticated take on legendary songs such as “Blue Gardenia�, “Moonray� and “Tea for Two�. Produced by the legendary Alan Paul of the Manhattan Transfer, Here Lies Love samples standards such as ballads and even gives a tune or two a touch of Latin-flavor, but Ellis remains true to the simple heart of jazz.

First up is the Artie Shaw great “Moonray�. Ellis’ silky voice is a stream of liquid through this wonderful rendition with simple backup instrumentals. Dinah Washington made “I Wanna Be Loved� a classic, never to be outdone by any other artist. Ellis comes close. Her take on “I Wanna Be Loved� is flawless and Washington-esque. It takes a true jazz vocalist to capture the essence of Dinah Washington and Ellis succeeds at it.

The fast pace and staccato tempo of “Little Paper Ball� is a hep tine and brings to mind a late 1950’s jazz scene. A little bit of Latin steam from the band and some quick manipulation of the vocals of Ellis should bring a hefty Salud! The ballad “lonely Woman� has a sadness to it that is captured by Ellis in just a single line and then she continues the trend with the title track “Here Lies Love�. The Portuguese love song “Exasperada� reads like a poem and while Ellis provides the English translation to the lyrics in the liner notes, her heart-felt rendering of this emotional ballad gives the listener enough emotion to translate the song in their own hearts.

Following a couple of ballads, Ellis turns right around and gives the listener a vibrant rendition of “Tea For Two�. This tribute to Anita O’Day proves that Ellis should be a mainstay in the jazz circles for years to come and features Mark Stevens on the drums, Harvey Newmark on bass and John Rodby on the piano. “Let’s Live Again�, made famous by the George Shearing Quintet features a great scat session by Ellis who is accompanied by Steven’s impressive percussion. Next up is Bob Russell and Lester Lee’s “Blue Gardenia�, another Dinah Washington classic from the 1950’s and Ellis once again rivals the master. Rounding out the release is “My Shining Hour�, the Howard Arlen and Johnny Mercer tune from the 1943 Fred Astaire film The Sky’s The Limit. This is a most appropriate song to end the CD on.
Quick, upbeat featuring every performer from Her e Lies Love, this track also tells the listener that Ellis is truly in her shining hour but she still has more to come.

Laura’s voice is amazing and harkens to mind the classic jazz greats of old. She proves that she can take on numerous jazz styles with ease. Her is delivery is superb, capturing the feeling of these songs, not just with words, but with an underlying feeling. Hopefully, Laura Ellis will be a jazz vocalist mainstay. Pick up this CD and you will not be disappointed.

-Tristan Smith
- Jazz Ambassador Magazine