Hot Winters and Cool DJs

 by Jamal Story

photo: Brandon Littlejohn 

Syndee Winters performing at Ella Lounge July 30, 2012

When Shakespeare said “Brevity is the soul of wit,” he was referring to words.  But Syndee Winters helped us understand how far this proverb reaches.  In 45 minutes, she gave us a healthy sample of her musical prowess and—as does any good artist—left us wanting more. 

Giving us 80’s rock stardom with millennium sensibilities, Winters is a hybrid for sure: part sultry siren (a la Chante Moore), James Bond girl (in sparkling gold top and abbreviated black latex thigh huggers), athlete (apparent by the thighs being hugged) and comedian.  As she quipped about her derriere between lines of a song:  “I talk about it because I don’t have one.”

After bravely—and deftly—covering the late Whitney Houston’s “I’m Your Baby Tonight,” Winters sailed us into “What You Say,” a coquettish tune she wrote to gyrate a few nerve endings.   Unafraid to spin a hit her way, she re-imagined Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy,” leaving us no doubt that she had a full scale storyboard concept for this song and its application to her life. 

Winters was not without adversaries. The lower level cavern at Ella Lounge, unsure whether it wanted to be a seated theatre or a standing mosh pit, gave Winters’ fans a constant logistical distraction.  Band members, mostly talented school chums, blasted their instruments through an unnecessary amplifier that vied with her able voice plenty.  

But Winters, part warrior too, triumphed, showing us natural born stardom when she invited friends on stage to sing with her.  At least one did, helping her with Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep” to close out a set we were not ready to end.

             

Torya “006” Beard, the other intrepid operative in the house, had the good sense to deliver us into the groove-ready hands of DJ Justin Johnston. Between the live music and lively spinning, and in front of a dangerously convenient bar, 006 gave us brevity and soul.

 What a perfect recipe to help Ella capture us again. 

An LA native, Jamal began dancing with Lula Washignton  during his teen years. He went on to perform as a guest artist with Dallas Black Dance Theater and Fort Worth/Dallas Ballet while earning earning two degrees (Dance Performance and TV/Radio Communications) from Southern Methodist University. Jamal has also danced with Donald Byrd/theGroup, Madonna's 2001 Drowned World Tour, Complexions, and (as an aerialist and dancer) Cher's Living Proof: The Farewell Tour.

He worked with Donald Byrd to help discover the movement for the history-making Broadway show, The Color Purple, where he was a dancer and assistant dance captain for the Broadway run. Jamal continues his advocacy for educating young artists about the changing landscape of dance. His first novel, 12:34 is now being taught in English classes at Cypress College, Cal State University Long Beach and Los Angeles City College. www.jamalstory.com