IT’S MAGIC! JOAN ELLISON SWINGS IN HIGH FIDELITY

Sparks will fly when Joan Ellison brings the Golden Age of studio recording back to life with a swinging celebration of the most dazzling singers, songwriters, and arrangers of the mid-twentieth century. The timeless hits include Rosemary Clooney’s “April in Paris,” Peggy Lee’s “What a Little Moonlight Can Do,” Lena Horne’s “Can’t Help Lovin’ That Man of Mine,” Judy Garland’s “San Francisco” and “When The Sun Comes Out,” Ella Fitzgerald’s “’S Wonderful,” Doris Day’s “It’s Magic,” Eydie Gormé’s “Johnny One-Note,” Keely Smith’s “When Your Lover Has Gone,” and many more, featuring the original arrangements by Nelson Riddle, Conrad Salinger, and Paul Weston.

The premiere performance was just reviewed by the Chicago Tribune: “Who better than Ellison to bring back…the music of the golden era of Hollywood with her intimate understanding of musical styles of the 1920s, ‘30s, ‘40s and ‘50s….[they] entertained the crowd with a variety of American classics, heavy on Nelson Riddle arrangements, which played perfectly with Ellison’s extraordinary vocal talents.” Read it here.

Praised by Michael Feinstein for her “vocal prowess…[and] organic grasp of the classic songs,” Joan has made a specialty of reviving Judy Garland’s repertoire, including restoring Ms. Garland’s glorious original orchestrations for the Judy Garland Heirs Trust, and now brings that authenticity to a whole new set of tunes.

“Johnny One-Note” with conductor Nick Palmer and the North Charleston Pops (September 16, 2023)

“When Your Lover Has Gone” with conductor Nick Palmer and the North Charleston Pops (September 16, 2023)

“Can’t Help Lovin’ That Man” with conductor Nick Palmer and the North Charleston Pops (September 16, 2023)

“When the Sun Comes Out” with conductor/drummer Michael Berkowitz

Ellison captivated her audience through her own vulnerability and passion with song and façon de parler. She doesn’t imitate Garland; instead, she honors her and…intimately portrays and shares a legacy of romance, love, loss, and longing. We were captured by her sumptuous musical badinage and expressed poignant tensions. Ellison is sensually dazzling, graceful, and glittering, from her signature red lipstick and costumes to the music.
— Elizabeth Foster, Front Row Center