Showing posts with label Lavay Smith. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Lavay Smith. Show all posts

Saturday, November 6, 2021

Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers - Miss Smith To You!

Styles: Vocal, Swing, Big Band  
Year: 2009
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:48
Size: 128,2 MB
Art: Front

(2:58)  1. Miss Brown To You
(3:38)  2. It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing)
(4:39)  3. Daddy
(6:37)  4. With My Man
(3:23)  5. I'm Not Evil
(2:54)  6. 'Deed I Do
(5:52)  7. I Ain't Got Nothin' But The Blues
(5:06)  8. Boogie Woogie (I May Be Wrong)
(4:21)  9. On The Sunny Side Of The Street
(6:17) 10. Need A Little Sugar In My Bowl
(4:13) 11. Jumpin' In The Morning
(5:45) 12. When The Saints Go Marching In

The third CD from the swingin' jazz vocalist Lavay Smith. Her last album received a prestigious 4 & 1/2 star review in Downbeat magazine and reached the top 10 on the national Billboard Jazz charts. https://www.cdbaby.com/cd/lavaysmithhrhsl

“Lavay is wonderful! She and her band are a breath of fresh air. It is so unlikely and so exciting that a band would appear on the scene today that plays classic jazz and blues so well and so convincingly.”~ Johnny Otis

“The San Francisco-based Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers are a notable exception to the retro-swing norm. The saucy vocalist and her eight-piece crew actually know the difference between jump music and bland R&B in corny suits. They have been a working unit since 1989 and sound as tight as the legendary musicians they choose to emulate.”~ Bob Blumenthal, Boston Globe

“A lush vocal style recalling both Bessie Smith and Dinah Washington.”~ Don Heckman, Los Angeles Times

“Splendid vocals and exemplary material.”~ Frank-John Hadley, Downbeat

“Hands-down the best thing to come out of the jump/swing revival...the gal can sing her tail off.”~ Paul de Barros, Seattle Times

“First-rate vocals...magnificent arrangements...the best combo in town.” ~ Phil Elwood, San Francisco Examiner

“A living testament to the jump-blues era, Lavay is an impassioned singer.”~ William Stephenson, Jazziz

“As close to the real deal as you can get.”~ Adam Mazmanian, The New York Press

“Pure class and a sense of humor...a time machine in vintage threads.”~ Tom Hyslop, Blues Revue

“As a singer, Smith is both ravishing and compelling, and her band, led by pianist Chris Siebert, is world-class.”~ Marian Wallace, Alternative Press Magazine

“Outstanding...the real deal. Unlike some retro-swing outfits that put posturing above musicianship, Smith and her red-hot musicians are schooled in the nuances of blues, swing, and bop.”~ Lee Hildebrand, East Bay Express

“The Skillet Lickers are bona fide jazz players, proffering chops and Basie-esque arrangements to shame all other modern groups of their ilk. Then there's Smith, whose sultry vocals readily betray the influence of Billie Holiday, Little Esther and Dinah Washington while sounding slavish to none.”~ Buddy Siegal, Orange County Weekly

“Folks, no matter how bad your day has been, this CD is guaranteed to make you feel better.”~ Dan Akroyd (a.k.a. Elwood Blues), House of Blues Radio Hour

“I love this band-they’re great!”~ President Bill Clinton

Miss Smith To You!

Monday, October 18, 2021

Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers - One Hour Mama

Styles: Vocal, Swing, Big Band
Year: 1996
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:03
Size: 110,3 MB
Art: Front

(3:10)  1. Oo Poppa Do
(3:51)  2. Blue Skies
(6:24)  3. New Blowtop Blues
(4:01)  4. What's The Matter With You?
(4:38)  5. Squeeze Me
(2:48)  6. And Her Tears Flowed Like Wine
(4:58)  7. Going To Chicago Blues
(3:11)  8. Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea
(5:24)  9. Downhearted Blues
(4:07) 10. Walk Right In, Walk Right Out ('The Walking Blues')
(5:25) 11. One Hour Mama

The current swing revival, a very healthy development that has given younger dancers an opportunity to jitterbug to four/four music has, ironically, resulted in quite a bit of erratic music. Some of the so-called swing bands are really just playing rockabilly, '50s pop, or mere imitations of Louis Prima and Cab Calloway mixed in with R&B from later periods. But there are a few groups that really are playing swing, including singer Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers. The talented Smith has an appealing voice that sometimes sounds close to Dinah Washington's, but it's also flexible enough to handle material ranging from Bessie Smith to Anita O'Day. And, although the singer gets top billing, her instrumentalists are just as strong. The debut set by the Red Hot Skillet Lickers features heated and romping solos by trombonist Larry Leight, altoist Bill Stewart, tenor Harvey Robb, and Noel Jewkes on tenor, clarinet and baritone, along with a driving four-piece rhythm section. Pianist/arranger Chris Siebert is responsible for the inventive charts, which are sometimes a combination of earlier recordings and always leave space for solos. The material includes some blues, swing standards (such as "Blue Skies," "Squeeze Me" and "Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea"), and lots of riffing. The music is a joy. The fact that Lavay Smith's San Francisco ensemble has been able to benefit from the swing revival shows that it is possible to perform music that is both popular and quite swinging. ~ Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/album/one-hour-mama-mw0000035527

Personnel: Lavay Smith (vocals); Noel Jewkes (clarinet, tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone); Bill Stewart (alto saxophone, tenor saxophone); Chris Siebert (piano); Dan Foltz (drums).

One Hour Mama

Saturday, September 10, 2016

Lavay Smith & Her Red Hot Skillet Lickers - Everybody's Talkin' 'Bout Miss Thing!

Styles: Vocal, Swing, Big Band 
Year: 2000
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:25
Size: 159,7 MB
Art: Front

(6:12)  1. The Busy Woman's Blues
(3:11)  2. Everybody's Talkin' 'Bout Miss Thing
(4:06)  3. Big Fine Daddy
(5:06)  4. Gee Baby, Ain't I Good To You?
(3:46)  5. Now Or Never
(3:41)  6. I've Got A Feelin'
(3:59)  7. Roll The Boogie
(4:10)  8. Honey Pie
(6:10)  9. I Want A Little Boy
(3:25) 10. Blow Me A Fat Note
(5:06) 11. Voo-It
(3:32) 12. He Beeped When He Should Have Bopped
(4:06) 13. Hootie Blues
(5:15) 14. Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans?
(4:11) 15. Sent For You Yesterday
(2:20) 16. Winter Wonderland

If you like swinging big-band blues, this is a no-lose proposition. The eight-member backup outfit consists of jazz veterans who have played with giants like Ella Fitzgerald, Lionel Hampton, and Duke Ellington; lead singer Smith, a kid by comparison, only sounds as if she lived through the big-band era. Half a dozen of the San Francisco group's sparkling originals fit right in with classics first popularized by the likes of Helen Humes, Dizzy Gillespie, Billie Holiday, and Count Basie. The spirited performances benefit from first-rate musicianship, a sense of humor, and the group's refusal to try to update the genre they call home. As they prove on every one of the 16 tracks, this music works just as well today as it did in the '20s, '30s, '40s, and '50s. ~ Jeff Burger http://www.allmusic.com/album/everybodys-talkin-bout-miss-thing-mw0000528428

Personnel: Lavay Smith (vocals); Jules Broussard (alto saxophone, tenor saxophone); Rev. Ron Stallings (tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone); Herman Riley (tenor saxophone); Allen Smith, Bill Ortiz (trumpet); Dan Armstrong, Marty Wehner (trombone); Chris Seibert, Chris Siebert (piano); Sly Randolph, Mark "Anarchy" Lee, Mark Lee (drums); Michael Spiro (congas); Jesús Diaz (bongos).

Everybody's Talkin' 'Bout Miss Thing!