MARY LOU WILLIAMS

"Mary Lou Williams was the most important female jazz musician to emerge in the first three decades of jazz."
- newarkwww.rutgers.edu

WHO WAS SHE?

• Born: May 8, 1910 in Atlanta Georgia & Grew Up: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• Pianist, arranger and composer, music publisher, independent record producer, artist-in-residence at Duke University (1977 and 1981)
• Music career started in 1920s and spanned decades.
• Output included mainly jazz; swing, bebop, and later sacred music.
• Died at age 71 on May 28, 1981

Music Career

• Began playing piano professionally at seven.
• As teenager, started performing with saxophonist John Williams, married in 1927
• Followed husband to Kansas City, became integral part of jazz & early swing scene.
• Joined Andy Kirk and His Twelve Clouds of Joy, group's pianist in 1930s, composed and arranged groups music. (left in 1942)
• Composed/arranged for big names such as Tommy Dorsey, Earl Hines, Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, and Glen Gray

"Outside of Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn, there's no other composer she has to take a back seat to," - David Berger, professor at Manhattan School of Music

Untitled Slide

• 2nd marriage to trumpeter Shorty Baker ended, settled in New York City.
• Mentored talents like Thelonious Monk, Dizzy Gillespie, Charles Parker, & Bud Powell; Harlem apartment gathering place for musicians
• Founded her own label, Mary Records, first to be started by a woman. Also established the Cecilia Music Publishing Company
• One of main catalysts for advancement of modern jazz
• Established charitable foundation to aid drug- and alcohol-dependent musicians.

"Mary Lou Williams is perpetually contemporary. Her writing and performing have always been a little ahead throughout her career. Her music retains, and maintains, a standard of quality that is timeless. She is like soul on soul." - Duke Ellington

Untitled Slide

• Left behind over 350 compositions, known for being one of the first women to succeed in jazz
• Legacy includes the Mary Lou Williams Foundation, established shortly before her death. The foundation helps children and young adults learn about jazz.
• Established the Pittsburgh Jazz Festival in 1964
• Set up in her honor: The Kennedy Center's Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival and Duke University's Mary Lou Williams Center for Black Culture

""The all-time greatest woman jazz musician." That typically was the kind of language used in describing Mary Lou Williams. Mary Lou was, beyond dispute, a fabulous pianist, as well as a noted arranger and composer."
- William Gottlieb

The most famous jazz works composed or arranged by Mary Lou Williams are: "Trumpets No End", "What's Your Story Morning Glory?", and "Roll 'Em"
"Roll 'Em" (modern version):
http://youtu.be/dJ7A0bnJkE8

QUIZ

What instrument did Mary Lou Williams play?

ANSWER:
Piano

Who was Mary Lou Williams' first husband?

Bonus: And how old was she when she got married?
(hint: born-1910, married-1927)

ANSWER:
John Williams
Bonus: almost 17 years old

True or False:
Mary Lou Williams founded Williams Records and it was the first to be started by a woman.

ANSWER:
False. She founded Mary Records.

Duke Ellington is quoted as saying what about Mary?
a) "Mary Lou was, beyond dispute, a fabulous pianist, as well as a noted arranger and composer."
b) "Mary Lou Williams was the most important female jazz musician to emerge in the first three decades of jazz."
c) "Mary Lou Williams is perpetually contemporary. Her writing and performing have always been a little ahead throughout her career."

ANSWER:
c)