Let's hear it for the girls!

As the saying goes, behind every man there's a woman - and vice versa but we won't go into that!

So many of the great modern jazz musicians had powerful women  keeping them on track and, helping then get back on the rails when they messed up.

Laurie Pepper's support of the great alto sax player Art Pepper is well documented in both Art's autobiography and Laurie's own memoir.

Sue Mingus' support of husband Charles in his latter days is another testimony to the love of a good woman.

The Baroness Nica de Koenigswarter's relationship with Monk, surely inspired the enigmatic pianist to some of his finest work.

Maxine Gordon's support of her husband Dexter undoubtedly assisted him in, not only consolidating his status as one of the  greatest tenor sax players in jazz, but also in achieving an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of a sax man in the film 'Round Midnight. Dexter lost out to Paul Newman who, ironically, 20 years earlier had also played a Paris based jazz musician in the film Paris Blues. Newman didn't get nominated that year - he should have had Maxine in his  corner!

Buttercup and Bud Powell were a couple who also ended up in Paris. Buttercup looking after her tormented genius of a husband to the end. As it happens, Bud, along with Lester Young, provided the inspiration for Dexter's role in the film.

Lorraine Gillespie may well have been the stabilising influence that kept Dizzy straight when all around him were shooting up - who knows?

Artie Shaw and Charlie Barnett had circa 14 wives between them but I don't think those ladies were the ones that guided their husband's career unlike the ones mentioned above.

Lance