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| Lavay Smith at Pearl's in San Francisco The cheerful cyclone of swinging jazz that is Lavay Smith and Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers will be invading Jazz at Pearl's in the heart of San Francisco's historic North Beach District on Friday through Saturday, March 30-April 1. Smith, of course, has been a huge star in swing circles for years, packing dance halls and concert venues week after week. Her band regularly features a wide range of Bay Area jazz all-stars, from veterans like trumpeter Allen Smith and saxophonist Jules Broussard to young firebrands like trumpeter Mike Olmos. Drawing inspiration from singing greats like Billie Holliday, Dinah Washington, and Bessie Smith, Smith skillfully and slyly mixes her soulful siren song with boogie-woogie tempered blues and jazz. The proof that she makes it all work so well can be clearly inferred by the national and international acclaim the group garnered when their second CD, Everybody's Talkin' 'Bout Miss Thing! won a 4 1/2 Star review from DownBeat Magazine and stayed on the Billboard charts for 20 straight weeks. In addition to her usual excitement, Smith will deliver an extra wallop of power and fun for her Sunday night shows with an expanded, 6-piece horn section. The band that night will include the aforementioned Smith and Olmos on trumpet, Broussard on alto sax, Charles McNeal on tenor sax, Ron Stallings on baritone, Danny Armstrong on trombone, Darrell Green on drums and David Ewell on bass. That ought to light some candles. write your comments about the article :: © 2007 Jazz News :: home page |