The Going Prayer – Annie Ellicott from The New Honey Shade on Vimeo.
Saturday, April 19, 8 p.m.
You’re going to miss Annie Ellicott for at least two reasons. The Tulsa born-and-raised entertainer has kept audiences on their eager little toes for more than a decade as both a bold, young actress and daring songstress teamed with some of T-Town’s most established musicians. And it’s because we’ve had the privilege of watching her grow into her own blissful concoction of artistic tastes and because Ellicott will be departing soon for a gig by the bay that Tulsa will notice an unmistakable gap in the local entertainment blotter.
Ellicott will give a concert Saturday, April 19, at the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame, 111 E. First St., before she heads to her soon-to-be home, San Francisco, Calif.
The move has been on her mind for several months.
“I’ve been sensing that it’s time to make a shift,” she says. “I have been feeling more and more of a pull to pick the performing arts and singing and songwriting a little more (over a traditional vocation) than I have in the past. Turning 30 will do that to you.”
For many locals, it seems just a short time ago when Ellicott made her debut as a jazz singer. She sang at places like Central Library and the old Borders bookstores backed by professional-level jazz artists who had worked around Tulsa for decades. Ellicott early on caught the attention of Tulsa musicians – some who knew her father, bass player Rob Ellicott and some who had worked with her at music clinics for students.
“They invited me to gig with them. I got lucky, and had a bunch of offers early on to work with some amazing musicians,” she says.
Since those days, Ellicott has worked with local artists such as Jack Hannah, the late Pat Murray, the late Gayle Williamson, Frank Brown, Brian Haas (Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey), Shelby Eicher, Mark Bruner, Pam Crosby and many others. She’s played venues all around town and state.
To theater fans, Ellicott is a familiar face. She was part of Heller Theater’s award-winning production Eleemosynary in 2003; and Ellicott has played with several Tulsa theater companies, including Odium Theater and Nightingale Theater. It was at Nightingale that she played her favorite role, Jenny Diver in Three Penny Opera.
While she looks forward to scoping out San Francisco’s art scene and creative personalities, Ellicott says she’s going to miss a lot about her hometown.
“I’m going to miss Tulsa like nobody’s business. Almost all of the people I love are in Tulsa, and I’m just, it’s all I’ve ever known. I’m going to miss it terribly. But I plan on getting back to gig and see family and friends,” she says.
Ellicott plans to give Tulsa a taste of songs she’s been working on for a new album with artist, musician and producer Mark Kuykendall. She says it’ll be unlike anything she’s produced to yet.
“It’s a lot different … like vaudeville on psychedelic,” she says.
The show starts at 8 p.m., and tickets are $10-$20. For more, visit www.okjazz.org.
