Elaine Lakeman’s fans say she has a voice like warm honey: dreamy and passionate at the same time.
The vocal artist and actress hits the stage with a mix of jazzy pop, blues and Latin at Pat’s House of Jazz in Crofton on Sunday, Jan. 27.
Lakeman brings emotion and authenticity along with her music from two albums — her first album, When It Rains, and her newest album of originals, A Time to Dance.
The latter expresses “both the joy and pain that comes from living a full life — a celebration of people we miss and good times gone by, along with reminders to enjoy life now and bring happiness to ourselves and others,” says Lakeman.
Both albums were produced by her guitarist and musical director, Lloyd English, whose 40-year career includes 2,000 dates in genres as diverse as world music and pop and jazz along with commercial music that has been licensed for use on the Oprah Winfrey show, Much Music and several Hollywood films. He recently wrote the background music for the television series Holmes Makes it Right.
Seven-string jazz guitarist Myles English, drummer David Emery and bassist Louis Rudner round out the backup quartet.
English has a degree in classical animation at the Vancouver Film School and is considered to be one of the premiere jazz guitarists on the West Coast.
Rudner has a master’s degree in jazz performance from Michigan State University and tours with the Ashley Wey Trio.
Emery is a graduate of Toronto’s Humber College Jazz Program and has spent several years in Tokyo.
Lakeman began performing and singing non-stop as a child filled with boundless energy, sometimes to her mother’s chagrin.
She ultimately studied theatre and dance at Edmonton’s Grant MacEwan College, which gave her “the opportunity to perform on stage and dance without knocking things over,” and, she jokes, “likely saved my parents’ marriage.”
After graduating, Lakeman had several parts in American films and local professional theatre productions and has toured Europe with a theatre group who entertained troops overseas.
Ever versatile, the sultry actress has since re-dedicated herself to writing and performing as a chanteuse. This is her first show at Pat’s House of Jazz.
The show, presented by the Chemainus Valley Cultural Arts Society as part of its weekly jazz series, begins at 2 p.m. in Pat’s House of Jazz at the Osborne Bay Pub. Reservations are recommended. Admission is $15.