Jazz singer’s suitcase stolen at start of December visit – Charleston City Paper
Influential Charleston-raised jazz vocalist and musician Leah Suárez had her suitcase holding $5,000 worth of clothes, shoes and accessories stolen as she arrived in the Holy City Sunday morning. She is part of a formative group of music-makers who set the foundations for the Charleston jazz scene to flourish in the early 2000s,
“It was a real bummer,” she told the Charleston City Paper. “I’ve had better starts to my time here. I’m here for a month, and that suitcase had all of my performance clothes, daily clothes, multiple pairs of shoes and jewelry — everything I travel with between here and Mexico City.
“That’s the tragic irony of it all, too,” she added. “That it happens here — not in Mexico City. … It made me sad for my hometown.”
According to a police report, someone stole the large black Samsonite roller suitcase between 1:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. on Dec. 3, near a friend’s apartment on St. Philip Street. The suitcase was reportedly locked under a hard top cover of a truck bed, which was likely wedged open to drop the tailgate.
Suárez said she filed a police report just to have the loss on record, but police told her it was very unlikely to get anything back.
“They said I might see my items again at some point — strewn around the neighborhood.”
Staying positive
But the loss hasn’t dampened Suárez’s spirits, though, she said.
“At the end of the day, it’s just clothes and shoes and things I can replace,” she said. “In my other suitcase I had all my music gear — the things I really needed. Maybe I’m trying to be too positive.
“Obviously someone needed that stuff more than I did, so from a karmic perspective, I guess, it works out, and you need to let things go.”
Suárez said she has also been uplifted by an outpouring of support from friends and community members.
“The amount of support I’ve gotten and the amount of people asking how they can help — it has really restored my faith in the community we have here in Charleston,” she said. “It’s helped me realize just how strong and giving the community is.”
HOW YOU CAN HELP: Suárez said the best way for people to support her is simply by attending her jazz shows while she’s in town.
“I’m a working artist,” she said. “If you really want to help and support me, come to my shows.”
