| As
a songwriter, Ellen Vanderslice deftly covers a variety of
moods, penning jazz, country and silly showtune songs of love,
loss and longing. Her
award-winning tunes have been recorded by some of Portland's
great jazz vocalists, including Rebecca Kilgore, Marilyn Keller,
Amandah Jantzen and Tom Grant.
By
day, Ellen is an architect, urban designer and a retired transportation
project manager in Portland, Oregon, internationally known
as an outspoken pedestrian rights activist.
After
dark, primed with single malt scotch, she hones her musical
chops in Portland's smoky jazz clubs as a composer and occasional
vocalist. Her songs range from tender ballads to uptempo swing
tunes. Each tells a love story with a fresh twist -- but feels
like an old friend the moment you hear it.
"I
purely love the challenge of telling a story in just thirty-two
bars," says Ellen. And tell them she does, heartbreaking
stories of love and longing and loss. Listening, you'd never
guess she's been happily married for decades and is mom to
two well-adjusted millenials.
Ellen
must be doing something right, because her songs took top
prizes in the jazz category of the Portland
Songwriters Association National Song Contest for 1999,
2000, 2001 and 2003, and, with co-writer Mike Horsfall, First
Place Jazz in the USA
Songwriting Competition in 2002!
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