The sultry sounds of jazz, swing and jump blues will fill Cal Poly’s Alex & Faye Spanos Theatre Thursday, as Cal Poly Arts hosts vocalist Lavay Smith and her Red Hot Skillet Lickers.
Smith is a modern jazz and blues singer who draws on musical legends such as Billie Holiday and Dinah Washington for her vocal inspiration. She and the Red Hot Skillet Lickers are a diverse group of musicians who play a mixture of blues, swing and jazz tunes.
Smith got her start in the jazz world in the late ’80s, when she was only 17 years old and heard that Janis Joplin was a fan of singer Bessie Smith.
“I went and bought a Bessie Smith record, and that’s what started it,” Smith said. “I just fell in love.”
Smith started to perform with the Red Hot Skillet Lickers shortly after graduating high school, when she met pianist Chris Siebert at a club he was performing at in San Francisco. An impromptu performance by Smith led to the formation of the band, which has recorded and toured around the world for the last 20 years.
The Skillet Lickers, who got the name by combining the names of two popular bands from the 1920s, is a seven-piece group made up of trumpet, trombone, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, piano, bass and drums. The band’s members have performed or recorded with artists such as Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Ray Charles, Nat King Cole and Frank Sinatra.
The Skillet Lickers are a unique group, Siebert said, because of the vast age differences between musicians. The youngest member is in his 30s, while the oldest is 74.
Siebert said the diversity of age and experience allows older members to mentor younger ones.
“The band ended up being something of a university for blues music,” Siebert said.
The Skillet Lickers are not only a university for blues music, but also a homage to an age in American music, Siebert said. The band is proof this style of jazz and blues music remains popular today.
“We sort of celebrate that mid-century renaissance,” Siebert said.
That celebration will come to Cal Poly, after the efforts of Cal Poly Arts Director Steve Lerian, who invited Smith to perform.
Lerian is a great fan of Smith and said he has booked her on previous occasions.
A Lavay Smith concert is an evening well spent, Lerian said, because of her movie star stage personality that is reminiscent of Marilyn Monroe.
Lerian said Smith also has a distinct and seductive voice to go with her persona, and seeing her band, the Red Hot Skillet Lickers, is always a treat.
“I love that she has a very sort of sultry voice,” he said. “But I also think she has one of the most fantastic bands I’ve heard.”
Lerian said he anticipates the music will appeal to a wide crowd, ranging from older folks who remember the golden era of jazz music to younger, college-age people who enjoy swing and dance music.
Cal Poly jazz professor Paul Rinzler said he recommends those attending the concert listen for the danceable rhythm in Smith’s music, which, in addition to improvisation, is what defines the jazz genre, he said.
Smith’s creative lyrics should also appeal to audiences.
“Lavay is a singer, and the songs that she sings, they’re really very clever,” Rinzler said. “Lyrics are really very funny sometimes.”
Smith’s songs, though sung in a retro style, often express the attitude of a modern, independent woman, inspired by the strong, independent attitude of the sirens of the Jazz Age.
Smith and the Skillet Lickers will play at 7 p.m. in the Alex & Faye Spanos Theatre. Tickets are available in advance at the Performing Arts Center Ticket Office and are $29 for students and $36 for the general public.
Editor’s note: Check out mustangdaily.net for an audio slideshow about Lavay Smith and her Red Hot Skillet Lickers.