Women Instrumentalists

Women Instrumentalists
By: Jessica Perkins

Women were traditionally in the role of homemaker and delegated to housework, as well as, raising the children. The era of Jazz changed all the traditional roles of women. Women challenged the social norms thanks to the opportunity jazz created for them. New Orleans was a hot spot for jazz and for women as performers. Emma Barrett, a New Orleans jazz pianist and singer, got her start locally by playing in small New Orleans clubs. She became known as “bell gal” for her habit of wearing red garters with bells that jingled.”* Sweet Emma, as she was also known, was a prominent member of the popular Preservation Hall Jazz band and toured internationally. Women like pianist Mary Lou Williams blazed the trail for women instrumentalists. She was so influential that “one year after Williams played “Zodiac Suite” at Town Hall, the New York Philharmonic performed three movements of it at Carnegie Hall, one of the first times a major symphony orchestra recognized a jazz composer’s work.”* She played in big bands as well as composed songs for male jazz bands. “A superb pianist, Mary Lou Williams was among Jazz’s more progressive and forward- looking stylists.”* During World War II, many men left for war and this opened up the opportunity for all-girl bands to dominate. One important drummer of the era, Viola Smith, was referred to by many as the female Gene Krupa because of the way “she would her hurl her drumstick onto her drum, then jump up in the air and catch it as it bounced.” Other notable girl band instrumentalists were Clora Bryant “who dazzled them with her trumpet solos” and “Roz Cron was known for the beautiful, clear tone and distinct phrasing of her alto sax and clarinet.”** Three important girl bands included the International Sweethearts of Rhythm, All American Girls, and Prairie View Coeds. Now, assistant Professor of Women’s studies at Hobart and Williams Colleges, has written a book called “Swing Shift” that delves into the history of these bands. “It is a study of how women negotiated boundaries of gender and race to play jazz and adapted their dress and music to be accepted.”** Women instrumentalists changed the face of jazz music and advanced the social position of women in every day life.


Media Sources

http://youtu.be/OYfP2ylrq3A -Girls in the Band Trailer- Girl Swing Bands
http://youtu.be/N4l7GKWGqLg  -Clora Bryant- Trumpeter
http://youtu.be/x9WJ7b_uc-U -International Sweethearts of Rhythm - girl band

Primary Sources

*Erlewine, Michael, Vladimir Bogdanov, Chirs Woodstra, and Scott Yanow, eds. All Music Guide to Jazz. 2nd ed. San Francisco: Miller Freeman, 1996. Print.

**Smith, Dinitia, and John Epland. "When Women Called the Tunes: Rediscovering the Women Who Called the Tunes After the Men Went to War." New York Times 10 Aug. 2011, 1st ed.: 30-35. Print.