The Ladies in Red

The story begins when I performed at The National Jazz Museum in Harlem with trombonist Calvin Sexton in December. It was his grant winning showcase, and the whole place was packed. Afterwards, I met LaDawn Taylor (Singer/Producer/Performer). She told me that she’s putting together an all women show, and thought it would be a good idea for me to be a part of it. Three months later, Taylor contacted me asking if I was available to be a part of this project. Of course, I said yes! Technically, it wasn’t an “all women” event since there were a few men in the band. But it was still a women’s world.

The group started rehearsing weekly in preparation to perform at Don’t Tell Mama in Hell’s Kitchen. I wasn’t able to make some of those, because of my gigging/work schedule. But I made it to the last few rehearsals, and it went well. LaDawn wanted all of the singers to wear red dresses for the opening song which was “Giving Him Something He can Feel” by En Vogue. A couple of nights before the show, LaDawn gave me a red dress. She liked the idea of me matching the singers. Red is one of my favorite colors, so I was in! 

Me and the singers

 This show was entitled, “Female Empowerment: LaDawn Taylor”. With about five instrumentalists and nine singers including Ms. Taylor working together to pay tribute to celebrate the iconic divas Whitney Houston, En Vogue, Chaka Khan, Tina Turner, and many more. Each of these singers are gifted women showcasing not only their talent, but giving the audience the ability to feel empowered when they go home. Every singer had a solo song, and they were all absolutely phenomenal. The whole show was so incredible. The horn section was me (Trumpet), and Joseph Miller on Sax. We were a team, and we killed it! Such a wonderful feeling to be part of an all black group with strong women power. I haven’t been part of something like this in a quite a while. Most of the time, I’m the only woman and/or black person in a band. But for the gender alone, that’s the life of a female horn player.

Giving Him Something He Can Feel

While processing that wonderful show at Don’t Tell Mama, the group was getting ready for another show that was going to be in three days at a different venue. But unfortunately, the show was cancelled. I’m not going to say the name of the establishment. But they wiped us out of their schedule without a phone call or warning. The venue sent an email to LaDawn saying that we did not follow their policy. Apparently, the policy was to not perform at another place a few days prior to the event in terms of marketing clash. On top of that, they didn’t like that Don’t tell Mama was only ten blocks away from their venue. That being said, me and LaDawn contacted many places. She ended up finding a beautiful venue…..To be continued...

-Lauren

Ladies in red

The Troublemaker's Revival

Otis & The Troublemakers at Firstlive

Started off the night performing with ‘Otis & The Troublemakers’ at Firstlive in Brooklyn NYC. It was our first time performing together as a band which consist of two guitars, bass, drum, trumpet, trombone, and some vocals. Otis Sedgwick (Guitarist/Singer/Songwriter) created this as a group collaborative so that we can all showcase not only his songs, but other originals from the band members as well as covers. Firstlive is a nice comfy venue featuring a soundstage with full backline and lighting for live virtual concerts in the back room. The band did pretty well for a debut show. Yes, there were a couple of hiccups that we need to work on. But it will get cleaned up over time once we become more in sync. The show was great, the audience really enjoyed it, we had fun, and that’s all that matters.

Shortly after that, I was on my way to another gig to perform with ‘Preachermann & The Revival’ at The Shrine Music Venue in Harlem. We rocked the house! Preachermann with his beautiful voice, songwriting, and stage presence. He can really work a room. His wonderful wife Benita Charles and her powerful soulful vocals is always extraordinary. It makes you want to cry when she sings, because she has the power to get people to feel what she feels. That’s what being an artist is all about, telling a story. The audience was going crazy over the whole performance. 

Preachermann fans!

 After the show, I took some pictures with friends and fans. Then I was about to put my trumpet away when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around, an unexpected surprise……. My childhood friend that I’ve known since the 5th grade appeared with flowers! “Hey Lauren! Great show!” she says. I was lost for words and touched. I’m not going to say her name, so I’ll call her AC. AC brought her fiancé with her, and they looked like they enjoyed themselves. I’m mentioning this part of the night, because it’s these moments that make you think about the friends who don’t support you. We all have at least one person in our lives who is not truly supportive when things are going well. Yes, the true sign is when you're at your lowest. But when you are going up that mountain and they're still not there, that's a whole other story. They smile in your face, but don’t show up. AC and I will never be as close as we were back then, and we don’t see each other that much. We are two completely different people. Two different lives and mindsets. And yet, she came out of her way to see me do what I love. That speaks volume, it truly does. 

-Lauren