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May-June 2008
SUZY WILLIAMS AND HER SOLID SENDERS
performing at the Temple Bar throughout 2008
By Joel Okida
About a mile and a half from the boardwalk and just past the
promenade of Third Street
in Santa Monica,
on a stage encompassed by shadow and red, a raven-tressed figure gyrates back
and forth to the big beat of a sizzling band. The LA Weekly calls her, "L.A.'s Diva Deluxe," but
perhaps a better monicker would be Suzy "the Doozy" Williams. Williams coaxes
and cajoles her Solid Senders 8-piece rhythm section to reach for that
something extra on the upbeat tunes and eyelashes them to caress those minor
keys on the ballads. On any given night, the Solid Senders include: Kahlil
Sabbagh (bandleader and vibes), Brad Kay (piano), Dave Jones (bass), Nick
Scarmack (drums), Danny Moynahan (sax), Dan Heffernan (sax), Dave Weinstein
(trombone and arrangements) and Corey Gemme (trumpet).
Although it is vibes man, Kahlil Sabbagh who leads the band,
Suzy conducts the electricity that flows thru the pumped up unit. Granted the
usual line-up that makes up the horn section is tight and well-versed in the
sassy jump blues and 40's era swing tunes that are the staples for this group,
but those brass knuckles pack a powerful punch when fired up by the frenetic
force of Williams. Suzy conjures up the spirits of Louis Jordan and Anita O'Day
and perhaps even a bar or two from Roy Milton and His (own) Solid Senders.
To catch a Suzy Williams show is to witness a singing ball
of energy and a performer who can't help but make her music contagious. An LA
original that should be seen, you cannot frown upon or dismiss her. She's here
to make you beam and ready to assist you in getting out of your funk and into
her blues (or vice-versa, musically speaking).
The versatile performer also has garnered high praise for
her Sophie Tucker portrayal. Jazz greats, Horace Silver, Roosevelt Sykes, Eubie
Blake and Hadda Brooks have given her the nod of approval. She is one of this
town's best kept secrets if only because few local jazz stylists ever get the
ink to grab a share of the relatively small audience that fancies the
standards, the lyric and the robust vocalizing of a bygone era. Furthermore,
her versatility might make it hard to pigeonhole her talent.
Her inspired self-penned tunes borrow from the best of the
40's big band era and 50's juke joint years, but offer her own very original
grit and spunk. In Mr. Friendly, Williams croons along with vibesman, Kahlil's
malleted melody. The Senders, some of LA's finest accompanists are always given
ample room to show off their chops. Nowhere is this more evident than in the
song, Betcha' Never Heard of Them. No
matter what the song, the energy level stays right up near red line on the mood
music meter.
A 4-song EP (in vinyl or CD format), which includes the
aforementioned two songs, is available thru www.cdbaby.com ,
www.jtonerecords.com , or at any of the live shows. But the recording, under the
title, Suzy and the J-Tones, is just a savory appetizer compared to the live
experience.
Suzy Williams and her Solid Senders play the Temple Bar in
Santa Monica on May 27, June 24, July 22, August 26 and every 4th Tuesday through
November.
The Temple Bar, www.templebarlive.com , 1026 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica
90401
More information on Suzy Williams can be found at www.puddingbench.com/suzy.htm
or www.muralista.org/suzy
Joel Okida is a struggling artist,struggling writer, and struggling
musician. It occurs to him that life is all about the struggle. Fortunately, he
did not take up acting. However, he's not half-bad as a zydeco dancer and the
ability to make a mean gumbo and lovely walnut tortes has gotten him by.
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