Singer Lulee Fisher brought a new sense of
panache to her act in her recent Thursday night appearance
in the Spectator Lounge of the Crowne Plaza Hotel and Resort
near LAX. Her enthusiasm and energy perhaps were in keeping
with the delight she is having making her new “Get
Happy” CD, and certainly with some its musicians who
were with her on this particular appearance. Backing her
was the young and acclaimed pianist, Tamir Hendelman, who
collaborated with her in creating the arrangements for the
upcoming disc, and bassist Jeff D’Angelo, guitarist
Jamie Rosen and the drummer Jason Harnell.
Playing to a well-filled room, Fisher established
the theme for the evening with her opening song, “This
is a Lovely Way To Spend the Evening,” then did “It
Might As Well Be Spring” before reprising “I
Thought About You” from her first CD, “In Love
Again.” Enjoying contact with her audience, they reciprocated
with generous applause thoughout the evening. Fisher’s
projection and excellent rendering of lyrics, as well as
her well-dressed attractiveness, easily won them over.
She always gives her musicians solo space
and, in this case, the lounge’ jazz fans, local and
transient, enjoyed the efforts of Hendelman, D’Angelo,
Rosen, and Harnell. Hendelman, who plays with Clayton-Hamilton
Orchestra, had just returned with the band from a ten day
European tour.
Other songs sung by Ms. Fisher in her three
set show included an upbeat “Aren’t You Glad
Your You,” “Blue Skies,” a fast tempo,
“Day By Day,” a plaintive “I Should Care,”
the iconic love ballad,”You Go To My Head,”
an upbeat “Better Than Anything,” “Young
At Heart,” “Devil May Care” and Gentle
Rain.” Commendable is her resurrection of singing
the song’s verse, where there is one, such as she
did in Ruby and Bloom’s “Give Me the Simple
Life” and the Gershwin’s “They All Laughed.”
Fisher’s busy schedule includes her
biweekly, seasoning work as a vocalist with the swing band
at the Senior Citizens’ Center in Culver City, as
well as activities on the Big Island of Hawaii and in Honolulu
where she was scheduled for an August gig with the Honolulu
Jazz Quartet at the Honolulu Club.
