(For Lily's "official" bio, see the media centre)
Lily Sazz is a musician (keyboards), primarily in blues, roots, and rock music. She performs regularly with various groups and is an active member of several committees and organizations, and is a long-time member of the Musicians Advisory Council of the Toronto Blues Society. (see Media Centre for more extensive bio information)
Lily is the keyboard player, and sometimes called "mother hen" of award-winning funk/blues/r'n'b outfit, Groove Corporation. Their material ranges from Tower of Power to Average White Band, and features amazing musicians from around the Golden Horseshoe. Watch the calendar for gig info. She's also one of 3 voices and guitarist/keyboardist for a wonderful vocal group made up of three talented women, called Hen Party. (Lily Sazz, Tiffany Thompson, and Catherine Bragdon)
She also
performs with Rhythm and Bones, and the
Women's Blues Revue,
and is the bandleader of
The Queen Bees,
who performed as the house band at the Canada's Walk of Fame "Rock
the Walk" 2006 event, backing Paul Shaffer (right), Molly Johnson, Donnie Walsh
and Chuck Jackson (Downchild), Haydain Neale (Jacksoul), Gerald Eaton aka
Jarvis Church (The Philosopher Kings), Tom Wilson (Blackie and the Rodeo
Kings, Junkhouse), Serena Ryder, Roy Kenner (Mandala, Bush), Robbie Lane
(Robbie Lane and the Disciples), Divine Brown, and Denzal Sinclair. The show
was produced by Denise Donlon.
"The house band was the basic group of women that Lily Sazz leads each year at the Toronto Women's Blues Revue, including Suzie Vinnick, Marg Stowe, Michelle Josef, Carrie Chesnutt, and Sarah McElcheran. They rock - and they provided sterling support for the artists, including David Letterman's sidekick, Paul Shaffer, who didn't show up at rehearsals, so he made the band wing it, conducting a brief rundown on each song before tackling it. It could have been a series of train wrecks, but he's a pro - and so were Lily and the women in the band. And it was great fun watching them all come together on the arrangement, the horn stabs, the tempos and the solos." - Richard Flohil
"Hi Lily. Spent last night at the Walk of Fame gala and was deluged with congratulations on what an excellent event Rock the Walk was. EVERYBODY mentioned the Queen Bees and how fabulous you all were. Thanks so much for your hard work and faithful dedication to excellence. You were an absolute pleasure to work with and I will continue to sing your praises to anyone who asks. Please pass on my thanks and MASSIVE MUSICAL RESPECT and admiration to all the Queens. You are wonderful. Best, Denise Donlon"
Lily also has a web design company called lilysazz.com and has numerous clients, many of whom are music-industry related.
She lives in Dundas, Ontario, Canada and is married to Paul Fayter, (York University professor, science historian, theologian, science fiction and comic book scholar, and minister at First-Pilgrim United Church in Hamilton, Ontario).
Last, but not least, Lily's got a blog, a MySpace page, and can be found on Facebook.
The Toronto Blues Society is celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Women's Blues Revue with an amazing compilation CD of the CBC recordings that were made of the show over the years. Lily was the musical director and keyboard player for all of these tracks.
The CD includes 15 stellar tracks, including vocalists Rita Chiarelli, Roxanne Potvin, Alana Bridgewater, Diana Braithwaite, Sue Foley, Georgette Fry, Divine Brown, Ellen McIlwaine, Molly Johnson, Jackie Richardson, Lee Aaron, Suzie Vinnick, Suzie McNeil, Serena Ryder, and Dawn Tyler Watson. All backed by an all-star band of amazing female players.
To purchase this CD online through the Toronto Blues Society, click here. It's also available in Hamilton at Picks and Strings on Locke Street.