Pamela Williams was born in Philadelphia. She cut her musical teeth at a time when "Philadelphia International Records was big and everyone was recording in Philly....'' She lists her influences as Grover Washington, David Sanborn, Hank Crawford, Charlie Parker, Maceo Parker and Don Myrick. She plays the saxophone -- perhaps that's why all of her influences are men. These basic details are important because if you don't know them, you need to, 'cause this lady is a star! And why shouldn't she be? Just because the sax has traditionally been a testosterone-charged instrument? I don't think so ... no, I think she is a star regardless, because what I witnessed on the night of Saturday, September 24 at the New Clayhouse Inn was irrefutable evidence that NO instrument is a "male'' instrument! I arrived on the scene around 10.15 p.m. and found far too many empty seats! This caused some apprehension regarding the quality of the show I was about to see ... now don't get me wrong, there was a moderate crowd in attendance, and I was sure that this latest project by the Fort William Development Foundation was well worth checking out, but I wasn't sure whether the crowd was big enough to inspire a command performance. My doubts were quickly squashed -- I'll tell you why.

Very soon after I arrived, the show got underway. Corin Smith greeted the audience with his customary huge grin, thanked us for coming out, and introduced the opening act: Bermuda's own Tempo! Straight up, Tempo did a great set! Full of explosive Latin rhythms, smooth jazz riffs and sensual R&B ballads, this was a performance full of energy and quality from start to finish! Randy Lambert had more gale force than Hurricane Gert, as he abused the strings of his lead guitar with reckless abandon, gyrating around the stage like a man possessed.

Sidney Simmons was the straight man of the two front men -- holding the bass down just as cool as could be - he was the Dean Martin to Lambert's Jerry Lewis and he played the part to a T.

St. Clair "Sinbad'' Simmons provided the foundation with his dramatic drums creating quite an auspicious aural backdrop as the band ripped through classics like Jesse Powell's `You' and the Jazz standard `Summertime'. At one point during their scorching performance I heard someone shout out "Tempo's on fire!!'' and they were! From the smooth upbeat jazz of the island rhythms, to the tough urban madness of Lambert's tooth bit (Er -- that is, he, ah, played the guitar with his teeth -- and handled it!!) Tempo put on a thoroughly entertaining show. I would strongly advise that you check for them live! But now we must move on to the main event of the evening, 12 rounds of box -- er, sorry, forgot where I was for a second. But seriously, the mood was real good by this time and everyone in attendance was more than ready for another amazing performance, and that's just what we got! After a few words from Sterling Smith, the band came out and took up their positions on the just-the-right-size stage that Clayhouse is famous for. They exuded quality from the first note they dropped, immediately letting us know that this was a world class jazz band! Comprised of Douglas Grigsby on bass, Wayne Deadwiley on guitar, George Pearson on the keyboard and Michael Jenkins on the drums, this band was more than able to provide the Saxtress with quality backing. Soon after the band began hypnotising us with their smooth sounds, Ms Williams appeared from the left-hand side of the stage blowing a melody that could sooth the most tormented soul.

Sax lady plays a `scorching' show at the Clayhouse Minutes after she appeared I found myself repeating a single word in my mind, so much so that I had to jot it down, and that word was: scorching! She was a five-foot four-inch package of beauty and fire, blowing holes in my heart with every new note. Some time later I realised I was not the only one affected in this way when, during her first walk around the room, she stopped and played to a young gentleman who replied with a yearning `Don't break my heart ...'.

Yeah, I feel you bro. The entire set was infused with original pieces as well as renditions of immediately recognisable jazz and R&B classics. Originals such as Slow Burn and Escape to Paradise got us all open to the talents of the Saxtress, while the R&B standards found us singing along to the sweet-sweet music that seemed to engulf us entirely at times. Highlights are hard to find in such a collage of heavenly sounds, but I will try to pick some out for you (cuz that's my job right?). One image that comes immediately to mind is that of one Doug Grigsby slamming the strings of his bass during an incredible solo that left us feelin' for more of the bottomless melody. Let's just say that Grigsby is an extremely impressive bassist. But he was followed closely by a short guitar solo by Wayne Deadwiley that morphed into a medley of the classic R&B standards `Love on my Mind' and `Mind-blowing Decisions' right before our expectant eyes.

Other highlights included a mesmerising rendition of the D'Angelo gem, `You're My Lady' and a very competent cover of Erica Badu's `Certainly' by the group's main vocalist and newest member, Kimberly Jenkins. Also providing back-up vocals for this section of the show was Ms Williams' manager-cum-back-up vocalist, Toi White. By now we were all thoroughly pleased with what we had witnessed, but Ms Williams asked if we wanted more, and I heard shouts of "You can play all night!'' -- and I believe she could have.

The Saxtress had been on stage for well over two hours now, and she was getting love from the crowd for the whole time, so she decided to bless us with a different kind of song. I mean, it was a song -- in fact it was the well-known and loved Lisa Stansfield classic `Been Around the World' -- but what made it different was that Ms Williams sang it instead of playing it! So, therefore, it was now time for us to fall in love with her voice as well -- she did the thing and did it well! The show ended around 2.00 a.m. with a spellbinding rendition of one of my personal favourites, the Quincy Jones classic `Secret Garden' as well as the Saxtress' second walk around the room (and she smiled at me again ... hmmmm, such a warm smile). But anyway, that was the end (we will all miss her very much). Pamela Williams exhibited a level of skill that many men may never reach, but she's a woman, and the sax is a male instrument. Should it matter that she demonstrated extreme proficiency on four different instruments (the alto, soprano, selmer and Yamaha WX11 saxes), or that she thoroughly entertained us? Of course it should! The Saxtress is as good a sax player as I have ever heard, and there are no obstacles in my view, even if there are obstacles in her path to stardom. When asked for a comment, she grabbed my writing pad and quickly scribbled down the following words of wisdom: "Always stay true to your dreams and know that whatever you believe, you can achieve. The sky's the limit! Some may say that this is just a cliche-laden platitude, but you know what else this little piece of inspiration is laden with? Truth! The programme says The Saxtress presents three nights of "Jazz Music & Seduction'', and you know what, by the end of the night, I, for one, was thoroughly seduced! Much love to Corin Smith and the Middle Passage Monument Project, something we all need to support. And speaking of support, if you didn't see her this time, don't miss her next time!