Sue Palmer & Her Motel Swing Orchestra: 25 Years of Happy Musicians, Delighted Devotees, and Full Dance Floors!s!

Sue Palmer & her Motel Swing Ordhestra, with (l to r) April West, Jonny Viau, Pete Harrison, Sharon Shufelt, Liz Ajuzie, Sue Palmer, Steve Wilcox. Photo by Nick Abadilla.

Is Sue Palmer the Queen of Boogie Woogie piano? Yes. Is her talent worthy of a coveted “Queen” title and all the pomp associated with royalty? Yes. BUT, in my star-struck mind, Sue Palmer is MY Queen. MINE! I personally claim her! I devoutly serve her! I genuflect at the sight of her glorious ring-soaked fingers! I am weak-kneed in her presence!

Sure, ALL of San Diego has happily acknowledged her sovereignty (fun fact: Sue Palmer Day was officially decreed in San Diego on March 25, 2008) but she is the REASON I moved to San Diego. I saw her in Candye Kane’s band at Club Bombay in the mid-’90s while on vacation from Michigan. I had to walk right up and just stare at her flying fingers and drool. I decided that San Diego was the coolest city on Earth. I hoped to someday live here, and if I DID, I hoped to sing for Sue! My worship began. I moved to San Diego in 2001. It would take several years of effort before she agreed to let me sing a song with her—so glad I kept up the quest!

She is the glitter glue of jazzy dreams. The keeper of feminine musical legacy. The keeper of many of my secrets and a great friend. She had a blog. She had her own show on KSDS. She’s a vinyl DJ. She collects works of art from local San Diego artists. She is the swingin’ saint of things that are musically creative, delicious, excellent, and fun! I’m not kidding. So, this opportunity to write about the 25^th Anniversary of Sue Palmer and HER Motel Swing Orchestra is a chance for me to honor her in a new way. (Thank you, Liz Abbott!) I get to shine the SPOTLIGHT back on her fantastic band. (btw – read Sue’s Spotlight column in the SD Troubadour every month. You won’t regret it) It is a gift to me to interview her and reflect on these 25 years as band leader, pianist, and bad-ass legend.

Sue Palmer, queen of boogie woogie. Photo by Annie Libby.

I have giggled often as I’ve imagined what I would talk to Sue about. New things. Things that aren’t in every interview. Things I do not know and didn’t even know I wanted to know. Shoe size/ inseam? (giggle) No…. too personal. Favorite low calorie vegan snack? (giggle) No…. too unimportant. Favorite place for a special meal? Yes! (she loves Bleu Boheme in Kensington) Bath or shower? Daring! (She prefers a BATH, people. In the afternoon. She rarely showers) Coffee or tea? (black coffee) Morning or night person? (Morning alllll the way) Sleeps in the nude or in pajamas? (she said it depends on the temperature…hmmmm) Favorite drink? (Chardonnay, but you might already know that!) Does she play piano every day? YES. (she LOVES to play! What a Queen!) Some of it pure fluff, but hey! Now I know. Now you know.

Sue Palmer had been cutting her musical teeth for quite some time before starting her Motel Swing Orchestra. Music was part of her family life, growing up as a Navy brat, with a piano ever present in the home, and professional musicians in the family, all jamming at reunions and lots of records playing, too. Sue’s parents encouraged her. She and her brother, an elite ballet dancer, were well loved. Her college years and post college life was chock full of artists and artistic people. She lived in a commune. She had a day job in social work. She had a boyfriend. She had a first girlfriend. She became an activist. She was in many bands, including Ms. B. Haven with April West, Sharon Shufelt, and Dana White. She played piano for the comedy troupe Hot Flashes with her old friends Kathy Najimy and Mo Gaffney. She was in Tobacco Road with the iconic bassist/vocalist Preston Coleman. She’s played with Earl Thomas, Blue Largo, Missy Andersen, Rob Thorson, Lady Dottie, David Mosby, Michele Lundeen, and so many other A-list musicians. And the 1990s kept her busy traveling the world in a beehive wig with the late, great Candye Kane. Her musical abilities grew as did her self-confidence and showmanship. (show-womanship?)

Here’s a video montage by David Butler of the early days of Sue’s Motel Swing Orchestra.

In 1999, Sue Palmer was now ready to start her own band. A big band. A band that she hand picked, a band she led, picked the songs for, worked out arrangements for, booked the shows for, and paid the musicians. (Another fun fact: she always pays you by check before the show starts. As a guest singer, this has always meant a lot—such a show of respect! It makes me want to work harder and be a better band leader myself!) And so, Sue Palmer and her Motel Swing Orchestra was born!

I asked her how she came up with the name “Motel Swing Orchestra.” She said it was suggested to her by her drummer Sharon Shufelt because it was a band that played swingy blues and bluesy swing, music that just might come out of a sleazy motel room! This really cracked me up. Thank you, Sharon. I love the name!

April West on the cover of the San Diego Troubadour, 2021. Photo by Julia Hall McMahon.

I asked her longtime bandmate April West what Sue Palmer has meant to her. She said, “It’s meant my whole life.” I burst into tears. She went on to say that in addition to giving her every opportunity to master her instrument (trombone) and find her improvisational voice as a player, Sue also leads her band with an amazing quality that April has rarely found in others, She said (I’m paraphrasing), “Sue accepts your flaws, largely ignores them, and loves you anyway.” More tears.The band’s line up is absolutely stellar: Jonny Viau (who plays in my band, the Tighten Ups, too!) plays tenor and baritone saxophone and sometimes even sings! Pete Harrison plays upright bass, which he learned how to play especially for Sue’s Motel Swing Orchestra. Steve Wilcox shreds on electric guitar and brings a true blues feel to the group. Sharon Shufelt is a knock-out on drums and vocals, but she also plays bass, a triple threat! April West on trombone, as I’ve mentioned, she also sings and she can really dance, too. And if you’ve ever seen her play the trombone with her foot, you’ll never forget it! And on lead vocals, glamorous wardrobe, and accordion, the dazzling singer/songwriter, Liz Ajuzie, who replaced longtime singer Deejah Marie, after she relocated to Los Angeles. And, of course, our Queen, Sue Palmer, on piano and emceeing every concert, always writing sets that blow our minds and keep our feet on the dance floor!

Laura Jane Willcock, Sue Palmer, Jaqueline Tonnaer, and Liz Ajuzie.

I asked Sue about her favorite concerts over the years and some definitely came to mind right away: The show recorded Live at Dizzy’s, which became her CD Soundtrack to a B Movie, her annual concerts at Trolley Barn Park in the summer, Gator by the Bay. Every year, she says, is in a tie for her favorite year: the In the Green Room CD release concert at the Bali Hai with Nathan James, the Cheap Leis, and lots of special guests; Liz’s Annual birthday shows; the intimate electricity generated by the audiences at Croce’s; Laura Chavez’s annual birthday shows; the Annual Troubadour parties, and her many concerts at Thunderbird Analog, which we were so proud to host! Jonny recalled a concert in Georgia, where our Sue ended up in jail… a hilarious road story, which Sue talks about right before the band performs “Locked up in Georgia,” the song that the event inspired, penned by Liz Ajuzie. Liz wrote it right after she heard the salty tale told at one of her first rehearsals with Sue’s Motel Swing Orchestra!

Since 1999, Sue Palmer and her Motel Swing Orchestra have put out 12 CDs, one digital album, one vinyl album, and one 45 rpm two-sided 10-inch vinyl record. I’m delighted to report that I have collaborated with her in the writing and recording/mixing process, along with my husband, Thomas Yearsley, at Thunderbird Analog Recording Studio. She and her band are so professional and total sweethearts! You can purchase her music at any of her shows. Some music is available at LuxRecordsUSA.com. You can also listen to eight of her albums on Spotify, and some tracks are available for free to listen to on her website (https://www.suepalmer.com/).

She’s been nominated for more San Diego Music Awards than anyone I know. She’s nominated again this year for Best Jazz Artist!! She and her band have won THREE awards! She was inducted into the San Diego Music Hall of Fame! She was even nominated for the IBC awards—for Best Self-Produced Album—for Sophisticated Ladies. Well deserved, all of these accolades!

Sue Palmer is now one of my very best friends. She is a friend to many! She’s also a loving aunt, cousin, and niece. She is generous, thoughtful, kind, and is a beacon of light to the world. All hail our Queen, Sue Palmer, and her exquisite Motel Swing Orchestra! Here’s to 25 more years!

Please join me at Tio Leo’s on Tuesday April 1 at 7pm to celebrate the band’s Silver Anniversary with Sue, her band, and special guests Deejah Marie and Sharifah!