A BRIEF HISTORY OF WOMEN IN JAZZ TO MARL INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY-MARCH 9, 2023

The involvement of women in the all-male world of jazz as early as the 1920s, not merely being singers and accompanists on piano or percussion, but also as various instrumentalists, composers, and arrangers. The evolution of this genre would be incomplete without the presence of such pioneers or trailblazers as The Boswell Sisters, Lil Hardin, The International Sweethearts of Rhythm, Besse Smith, Mary Lou Williams, Dorothy Ashby, Ella Fitzgerald, Valida Snow, Mary Osborne, Marian McPartland, and Toshiko Akiyoshi.

While female singers left a visual and auditory impression on jazz, it appears as though history does not always recall the many instrumentalists who helped to shape the things to come; that is, changes that greatly aided the process to define this music. Amongst the very first women to receive international recognition were pianist/composer/leader Lil Hardin Armstrong, trumpeter Dolly Jones, and saxophonist Vi Redd. These highly skilled women were recorded as well in these gender-breaking endeavours. When bandleader/drummer Chick Webb passed away prematurely from a rare disease, his 17-year-old vocalist, Ella Fitzgerald took over guiding the all-male orchestra. Billie Holiday also led her own big band around this period of time. Perhaps the most gifted of all the early female jazz artists (or even all time) was composer/arranger/pianist Mary Lou Williams. She prevailed from the 30s until the 70s as one of the finest pianists and composers in jazz. She even wrote something for the master composer, Duke Ellington, and mentored such bop legends as Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, and Dizzy Gillespie. She played a crucial role in the success of Andy Kirks’s famous band, The Clouds of Joy, writing superb tunes, and arranging and playing them at the same time.

On a final note, it might be stated for the record that more often than not, these women were continually fighting against the establishment in terms of race and gender stereotypes. They usually represented the exception rather than the rule. Nowadays, most female jazz artists are not only embraced but sought after in combos and orchestras. Some fine examples include drummer/leader Sherri Maricle of the all-female band Diva, composer/arranger/leader Maria Schneider, composer/leader/saxophonist Jane Bunnett, and bassist/singer/leader/composer Kristin Korb from Denmark. It might also be important to note that over the course of cinematic history, even though female jazz artists have rarely been the subject of a biographical movie from soundies to the present, three women did make the cinematic grade; namely Billie Holiday (Lady Sings The Blues and B. Holiday vs the U.S.), Ma Rainey (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom), and Besse Smith (Bess). As far as I can recall, that nearly equals the number of male artists in this genre who were acclaimed with a film, including Charlie Parker (Bird), Chet Baker (Born To Be Blue), Miles Davis (Miles Ahead(, and Don Shirley (The Green Book).

Long live the jazz community’s eternal mission for equity, diversity, and inclusion for all artists and audiences to forever enjoy.

ESSENTIAL FEMALE JAZZ RECORDINGS

1. Louis Armstrong & His Hot 5, featuring Lil Hardin 1927 (Joker Collector’s Series 1975)
2. Mary Lou Williams – The Zodiac Suite (Asch Records 1951)
3. The Best of The Chick Webb Orchestra with Ella Fitzgerald (MCA 1976)
4. The Fantastic Jazz Harp of Dorothy Ashby (Atlantic 1965)
5. Melba Liston And Her Bones (Metro Jazz 1958)
6. The Toshiko Akiyoshi/Lew Tabacin Orchestra – Salted Gingko Nuts (Ascent 1972/’82)
7. The Best of The All-Girl Bands 1928-1947 (Fuel 2013)
8. Classic Female Jazz Artists 1939-1952 (RCA 1990)
9. The Boswell Sisters with the Dorsey Brothers 1931-33 (Pro-Arte)
10. A Woman’s Place Is In The Groove (Audio Books & Music 2000)
11. The Diva Jazz Orchestra – 25th Anniversary Project (Artist Share 2017)
12. Maria Schneider Orchestra – The Thompson Fields (Artist Share 2015)
13. Rene Rosnes & David Hadju – Ice On The Hudson (SMK Jazz 2018)
14. Marian McPartland’s Piano Jazz with Dave Brubeck (Jazz Alliance 1993)
15. Jane Bunnett & Maqueque – Playing With Fire (Linus 2023)