Women in Blues and Jazz: Laura Chavez, Holly Hofmann, Giselle Anguizola

Laura Chavez 1982-

We are very lucky in San Diego to have a plethora of great musicians in all kinds of styles, whether homegrown or transplants, who have decided to settle here. In the jazz field, people like Holly Hofmann (UCSD Jazz Camp, especially encouraging young women), Gilbert Castellanos (Young Lions), teacher J.P. Balmat at Mission Bay High School, and many others, are teaching our young people how to be good, professional jazz musicians before they’re even out of high school. In the blues field, one of our own (although transplanted from Northern California) has been teaching, but also inspiring all of us. Laura Chavez is quickly becoming one of the most respected blues guitarists, both in San Diego, nationally, and around the world. She gives her time generously to many bands here when she’s not on the road, including, among others, my band, the Motel Swing Orchestra; Laura Jane and the Tighten Ups; Whitney Shay; Mercedes Moore; Chickenbone Slim; and Taryn Donath. Laura is one of the hardest working musicians I know. Often, after a flight across the Atlantic from Europe, she sometimes goes straight from the airport to a happy hour gig and another late-night gig following that!! She has travelled and toured nationally and internationally with Vanessa Collier, Nikki Hill, Ruf Records Blues Caravan, Mitch Ryder, Monster Mike Welsh, and Candye Kane, to name a few. She was the first woman to win the Blues Music Award in Memphis, for Best Instrumentalist/Guitar, in 2023.

I first met Laura when she was first beginning to play with Candye Kane. We all performed at what is now called the Music Box in 2008. Under the advice of guitarist/singer songwriter Sue Foley (See my November 2025 Spotlight column in the Troubadour. https://sandiegotroubadour.com/women-in-blues-and-jazz-sue-foley-shirley-scott-dorothy-fields/), Candye hired Laura, sight unseen, before she’d ever heard her. It turned out to be a fortuitous move for both of them, because Candye was such an inveterate touring musician in the U.S. and Europe, Laura was exposed to a new worldwide audience. Candye’s reputation was enhanced because she had Laura. Laura and I eventually bonded over our relationship with the very talented and sometimes tempestuous Candye Kane. I had been her musical partner in the ’90s when she got her first recording contract with Antones, in Austin, and began touring the world. The rest is history. Laura played with her from 2008 until her death in 2016. We both were very close to her, musically and as friends. It’s important that when one is on the road constantly, far from home, Laura’s friendship and caretaking of Candye when she was very ill, enabled her to work up until almost the end of her life.

Because Candye and I remained friends after I left the band, I was lucky enough to get an invitation to play with them several times a year, here in town, and, once a year or so, for a tour on the road. Candye was the resident artist for a Dutch organization called United by Music. The Dutch are incredibly good at being very practical about caring for their people. Under the leadership of Joris Van Wijngaarden, the organization helped young adults and older ones explore their musical talents. Laura and I joined Candye, along with the rest of Candye’s band, every year from 2006. Since Candye and Laura were in Europe so frequently touring, they continued to support the United by Music musicians for as long as they were needed. Eventually these Dutch musicians became so good, they really didn’t need support from professionals other than inspiration. They went on to form three or four more bands. We played with the “All Star” group, which played at festivals all over the Netherlands and Belgium, as well as venues in North America, South Korea, South Africa, and Romania. It was quite an illuminating experience for me and wonderful to spend time with Laura and Candye.

“Stick to who you are. Don’t try too hard to be who you think people want you to be. It even takes longer to be where you think you want to go, but it’s worth it in the end.” —Laura Chavez. Laura has recently released her first album, under her own name, on Ruf records, her German record label. The album consists of 10 excellent instrumentals. This album is pure Laura, who has spent a long career backing up vocalists, which she is excellent at. She waited to make her debut as strictly herself: a brilliant guitarist who can stand alone. Her new album, called My Voice, is getting rave reviews from the U.K., Europe, and the U.S. Making the Scene music magazine calls it “a bold artistic statement. After years of elevating the music of others as a side person, collaborator, and producer, Laura Chavez steps forward to tell her own story—entirely through her instrument.  Raw, expressive, and deeply human, her debut album reveals a guitarist fully in command of her craft and ready to be heard without ever saying a word.” Her San Diego album release party will be held at the Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach on May 12th. Any chance to hear Laura is an opportunity to be uplifted and inspired, and this should be one of her best shows ever!

 

HOLLY HOFMANN 1956-

I mentioned that San Diego is full of musicians who live here. One of the most renowned jazz musicians in the world today, Holly Hofmann, has lived here since the late ’80s. Holly not only plays swinging bebop jazz, she also lends all her talents to our community, booking weekly jazz showcases and consulting festivals for talented musicians. I first became aware of her when she was curating shows for the Horton Grand Hotel, in downtown San Diego. These shows were booked seven nights a week for seven years, showcasing nationally acclaimed artists, including Diana Krall, Benny Carter, Tommy Flanagan, and Joe Henderson. She has continued to showcase the best of San Diego, and other out-of-town musicians, for over 30 years in different venues. She currently hosts a weekly Sunday showcase at San Diego’s music venue Tio Leo’s, from 5-7pm. Tio Leo’s is known usually as a blues, rock ‘n’ roll, and big band venue with swing dancers abounding. Holly managed to create a sit down-listening venue on Sunday afternoons, which is quite refreshing and popular.

Hofmann with her late husband, Mike Wofford, at the Athenaeum.

Hofmann grew up in the Cleveland, Ohio area, playing a child’s flutophone by ear at age five, with her guitarist father. He played in the style of Freddie Green, Count Basie’s famous rhythm guitarist, providing her with the perfect framework for playing and learning the great American Songbook. She began flute when she was seven. She eventually received degrees in music from the Cleveland Institute of Music and the University of Northern Colorado. Moving to San Diego in the late ’80s, she began playing with Mike Wofford (himself a San Diego native, graduate of San Diego High School, and accompanist for, among others, Sarah Vaughn and Ella Fitzgerald), drummer Jim Plank, and bassist Bob Magnuson (a Pt. Loma High graduate who was a student at the same time I was there!). Jim and Bob were the rhythm section picks here in town at that time for national jazz acts coming through. So, Holly began here in San Diego with three of the world’s best! She and Mike eventually married in 2000, beginning an incredible partnership, both musically and personally.

Holly continued to enhance her career, touring with pianist Bill Cunliffe, bass legend Ray Brown, and drummer Victor Lewis. One of my favorite albums of hers—Live at Birdland—was one this group recorded. Holly swings so hard, she totally gives the flute its place in the jazz pantheon as a respected jazz instrument and definitely secures her place as one of its best interpreters. She has recorded 12 more albums to date, as a duo, quartet, and as a leader. “She’s an adventurous player; she plays flute with the drive of a great saxophonist. I’ve often told her that she’s got a low B natural like Ben Webster. She doesn’t play a light and airy, fluffy flute, she digs in. Most flutists in jazz are ‘doublers,’ sax players who also play flute. She’s a real flute player, that’s what she does. She’s got a warm, beautiful sound. She also knows how to play the blues. As a person, she’s a wonderful organizer and planner for all the programs she puts together. She’s really great with her students, and she’s a fantastic representative for jazz and jazz flute; she’s just exceptionable.” —Mike Wofford, as quoted in the Troubadour, January 2023.

Mike and Holly have been wonderful friends to working musicians and students as well as for jazz in San Diego and the world. I got the pleasure of playing with Holly once at Dizzy’s. She played a song I wrote (“Swango”). That was quite an honor. Sadly, Mike passed away this year but Holly continues entertaining us with her stellar playing and weekly, curated jazz shows, here and other places, too.

 

GISELLE ANGUIZOLA 1982-

Speaking of up-and-coming young musicians, another San Diego native, who now mostly resides in New Orleans, is Giselle Anguizola. I first heard her while seeking out a band for my longtime drummer, Sharon Shufelt’s, birthday party in August 2021. This was a tricky time due to the pandemic, and people were just starting to venture out in public, sometimes still wearing masks. I discovered that Giselle and her band were playing in front of a little coffee house in North Park. Giselle plays swingin’ rhythm guitar (à la Freddie Green) and sings and surrounds herself with excellent trad jazz musicians, playing mostly acoustically. I hired them on the spot, and much to my delight, she brought three other talented young women, also San Diego residents: Angelica Pruitt on upright bass, Leilani Garner on rhythm guitar and vocals, and Lindy Edwards on sax and vocals. I have seen them all in various bands and combinations around town; I also knew Angelica from Mission Bay High School, when I played with them a few times. Angelica has always been steady and good, since the first time I heard her in high school.

Not only is Giselle a guitarist and vocalist, she is a band leader and internationally renowned swing and tap dancer. I can vouch for that!! Mostly based in New Orleans now, she occasionally plays in San Diego while visiting her family. She has played in countless festivals, including the French Quarter Festival, the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, Gretna Fest, and San Diego’s own Gator by the Bay. She is featured in numerous movies, commercials, and music videos. Fans have compared her to a mix of Lady Gaga, Amy Winehouse, and Billie Holiday. Giselle and her band were a big hit at Sharon’s party, and I look forward to hearing her soon.

Sue Palmer has been a San Diego musician and resident her whole life. She has received numerous San Diego music awards as well as an award for Best Self-Produced CD from the International Blues Challenge in Memphis. She was inducted into the San Diego Music Hall of Fame, has recorded 30 podcasts, and hosted her online radio show for three years on the local jazz and blues radio station, KSDS Jazz88.3.