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Ellen McIlwaine At Mr. Flood's Party

Ellen McIlwaine At Mr. Flood's Party image
Parent Issue
Day
25
Month
October
Year
1974
OCR Text

When someone tole me that Ellen McIlwaine was going to be appearing locally, both here in town and in downtown Detroit at the Rainbow Room, all I could do was stare and say "oh yeah? So who's Ellen McIlwaine?" Well, when I finally saw her at Flood's last Thursday night, again all I could do was stare, but mostly in amazement. I knew when I walked into Flood's that she did this Jack Bruce tune with an over-arranged jazzish band behind her. How was I to know that Ellen McIlwaine is one of the most exciting and unusual solo acts to grace rock palaces in years?

Briefly, Ellen McIlwaine is a dynamite singer, a consumate composer and pianist, and a damned good guitar player. All of her stuff is very original, from her biting and humorous lyrics to her cool, jazzy phrasing. I've never seen anybody play guitar quite the way she does, and the mix of classical, jazz, and boogie woogie that describes her piano style is fresh if not avant guarde. She blends her talents into a fast moving show that would leave a lot of quick change artists gasping for breath. And I can report that the crowd loved her.

McIlwaine claims that she has no influences, only what comes out of her mind, body, and soul. Her singing reminded me of Sarah Vaughn, believe it or not, but she maintains that she's never listened to Vaughn or any of the great jazz vocalists. Largely self taught, fiercely independent by nature, McIlwaine prefers doing her thing solo, and her next LP features just her, just like she wanted.

If she gets down on the LP like she did at Flood's, it will indeed be a record to own and treasure. Don't miss her next time she's in town...she'll tickle your musical fancy in a way it hasn't been tickled before. No foolin', this lady will be a big star some day. And the macho music scene will be much better off for it.

-Jim Dulzo