Elaine Dame Quartet

Elaine Dame sings - and people stop and listen. Since 1996, the woman Time Out Chicago calls “a jazz dynamo" and "a gem in the city's vocal jazz scene" has been turning heads and capturing attention at venerable jazz venues from coast to coast, bringing her unique, superlative interpretations to vintage vocal classics and modern standards alike.

Neil Tesser, Grammy award-winning jazz critic and author of The Playboy Guide to Jazz said, "Dame has risen to the top ranks of Chicago jazz singers. She possesses all the musicality you could want in a true jazz vocalist: centered intonation, an enviable command of rhythm and a translucent but powerful instrument.”

Dame will appear at The Sound Room to celebrate the release of her latest album, Reminiscing, a spirited collection of reimagined songs from the ’70s that once populated the FM airwaves during one of the most creatively diverse decades in music. Dame says, “This recording represents the culmination of my desire to create something entirely outside my comfort zone --something unique that challenges me as a vocalist. And, I have a deep emotional connection to all these songs. When I listen to them, I recall specific moments in time and have distinct memories associated with each song.”

The music of Reminiscing promises to evoke distinct memories from her audience as well, with tunes including “Tell Me Something Good,” a funk-soul tune originally performed by Chaka Khan; a funky, bluesy “Use Me,” written by Bill Withers; “Reminiscing,” a soft rock number by The Little River Band; “Wish You Were Here,” from Pink Floyd; “Sing Child,” a song by the group Heart; Bonnie Raitt’s “Nothing Seems to Matter”; “Midnight at the Oasis” the mega-hit for Maria Muldaur; “Last Dance” recorded by disco queen Donna Summer; and “Love Will Find a Way,” a chart-topper for Pablo Cruise in the late ‘70s.

Dame will be joined by two members of her recording band, top Chicago musicians CHRIS MADSEN (co- arranger and tenor & soprano sax) and TOM VAITSAS (piano) as well as local stalwarts, MATT MONTGOMERY (bass), and GREG WYSER-PRATTE (drums).

Dame released two previous albums, You’re My Thrill (2014) and Comes Love (2005). Neil Tesser, Grammy Award-winning jazz critic and author of Playboy Guide to Jazz, said, “Dame has risen to the top ranks of Chicago jazz singers. She possesses all the musicality one could want in a true jazz vocalist: centered intonation, an enviable command of rhythm, and a translucent but powerful instrument.”

Looking over Elaine Dame’s oeuvre, it’s clear that she can sing just about anything she sets her mind to. Her commitment to rework these rock, pop, and funk classics is a bold move, but it pays off handsomely. These songs are both familiar and refreshingly current. REMINISCING is a journey through nostalgia and an homage to a creative era whose sounds still resonate today.

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