Lavay Smith

Lavay Smith
Lavay Smith in 2007
Background information
Born 1967 (age 50–51)
Long Beach, California, U.S.
Genres Vocal jazz, blues, pop
Occupation(s) Singer
Years active 1980s–present
Labels Fat Note
Associated acts Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers
Website www.lavaysmith.com

Lavay Smith (born 1967) is an American singer specializing in blues, jazz, and swing. She tours with her eight-piece "little big band", Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers.

Biography

The fourth of five children, Lavay Smith was born in Long Beach. At the age of 12, her family moved to the Philippines. Two years later she performed onstage in Manila for members of the American military.[1] When she moved back to southern California, she sang blues, rock, and country songs in cafés. After falling in love with the classic jazz and blues of the 1930s, '40s, and '50s, she moved to San Francisco and started performing in night clubs in 1989.[2]

Smith sings her own songs in addition to those by Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday, Helen Humes, Dinah Washington, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Carmen McRae, Big Maybelle, and Esther Phillips. She has toured all over the world with her band, the Red Hot Skillet Lickers, playing jazz and blues festivals and night clubs, including The Chicago Jazz Festival, The Monterey Jazz Festival, The Playboy Jazz Festival, and Lincoln Center in New York City.

Smith won the San Francisco Regional Poll in the 1st Annual Independent Music Awards for "I Want a Big Fine Daddy" and the San Francisco Chronicle readers' choice poll for best band. American Lindy hop pioneer Frankie Manning chose Lavay Smith and her band to perform on a Caribbean cruise for his 90th birthday in May 2004. Smith owns her own record label, Fat Note Records.

Band

Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers

Smith formed her band, Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers in San Francisco in 1989. The group consisted of trumpet, piano, guitar, bass, and drums. The band grew over time, and since 1996 she has performed and toured with an eight-piece lineup (four horns and four rhythm) consisting of trumpet, trombone, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, piano, guitar, bass, and drums. Occasionally, Lavay expands the band to ten pieces (six horns and four rhythm) by adding a second trumpet and a baritone. Lavay also performs with a sixteen-piece big band.

Members

The band consists of Bill Ortiz (trumpet); Mike Olmos (trumpet); Danny Armstrong (trombone); Jules Broussard (alto and tenor saxophones); Charles McNeal (alto and tenor saxophones); Howard Wiley (tenor saxophone); Robert Stewart (tenor saxophone); Pete Cornell (alto, tenor and baritone saxophones); Charlie Siebert (guitar); David Ewell (string bass); Marcus Shelby (string bass); Darrell Green (drums) and Chris Siebert (piano, arranger, bandleader). The band's arrangements are written by Chris Siebert and New York arranger David Berger.[3] Lavay's band members have performed with:[3]

Tenor saxophonist Robert Stewart has performed or recorded with Donald Byrd, Dizzy Gillespie, Benny Golson, John Handy, Roy Hargrove, Eddie Harris, Jon Hendricks, Billy Higgins, John Lee Hooker, Freddie Hubbard, Bobby Hutcherson, Milt Jackson, Etta Jones, Joe Lovano , Les McCann, Joshua Redman, Max Roach, Pharoah Sanders, Jimmy Smith, McCoy Tyner, Jeff "Tain" Watts, Cassandra Wilson, and toured with Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra for four years. He recorded for Quincy Jones's Qwest Records.

Trumpeter Bill Ortiz has performed with Herbie Hancock, Tito Puente, and Wayne Shorter and has been Carlos Santana's trumpeter for over seven years.

Trumpeter Mike Olmos has performed with Etta James and Rosemary Clooney.

Trombonist Danny Armstrong has performed with Johnny Otis, Ann Peebles, Rufus Thomas, and Archie Bell & the Drells.

Alto and tenor saxophonist Jules Broussard has performed with Ray Charles, Earl Grant, Steve Miller, Van Morrison, Esther Phillips, Santana, Boz Scaggs, and Big Mama Thornton.

Alto and tenor saxophonist Charles McNeal has performed with Ruth Brown, Leslie Drayton, Jon Faddis, Roberta Flack, Junior Mance, Wynton Marsalis, Barbara Morrison, The Temptations, and McCoy Tyner.

Tenor saxophonist Howard Wiley and bassist David Ewell toured with Lauryn Hill throughout 2007. David Ewell has toured with pianist Marc Cary.

Drummer Darrell Green has performed with Stephon Harris, Tony Monaco, Marlena Shaw, Lonnie Smith, and Jeremy Pelt. He has toured to Europe several times with Sherman Irby, alto saxophonist with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra.

Trumpeter Allen Smith, who died on February 3, 2011,[4] performed with Tony Bennett, Nat King Cole, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Benny Goodman, Quincy Jones, Frank Sinatra and Sarah Vaughan.

Tenor saxophonist Ron Stallings, who died on April 13, 2009,[5] performed with Louis Bellson, Ruth Brown, Dr. John, Gladys Knight, Jimmy McCracklin, Otis Rush, Big Joe Turner, Joe Williams, and was a member of Huey Lewis and the News.

Lavay Smith released her third album, Miss Smith to You!, for her independent record label, Fat Note Records, on September 8, 2009.

Discography

References

  1. ↑ Daly, Sean (December 2001). "Jazz Articles: Lavay Smith: Miss Thing Talks Back - By Sean Daly — Jazz Articles". jazztimes.com. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
  2. ↑ Phares, Heather. "Lavay Smith: Biography". Allmusic. Retrieved 2010-08-24.
  3. 1 2 Lavay Smith - Meet the Band Retrieved April 30, 2013
  4. ↑ Vaziri, Aidin (10 February 2011). "Allen Smith - esteemed S.F. jazz trumpeter - dies". SFGate. Retrieved April 30, 2013.
  5. ↑ Vaziri, Aidin (16 April 2011). "Ron Stallings, prominent saxophonist, dies". SFGate. Retrieved April 30, 2013.
  6. ↑ "Lavay Smith | Album Discography | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 28 January 2017.

Further reading

  • Pener, Degen (1999). The Swing Book. New York: Back Bay Book. p. 256 pages. ISBN 978-0-316-69802-3.
  • Vale, V.; Marian Wallace (1998). Swing! The New Retro Renaissance (V/Search). San Francisco: Re/Search Publications. p. 214 pages. ISBN 978-1-889307-02-2.
  • Yanow, Scott (2000). Swing: The Essential Listening Companion. San Francisco: Miller Freeman. p. 520 pages. ISBN 978-0-87930-600-7.
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