I'm not done yet! What about Emma Fisk with her gypsy jazz violin, and Abbie Finn (pictured), playing drums, once considered as an instrument that only men had the strength and energy to play, and Katy Trigger on bass, so empathetic to work with? Then there's singer and multi-instrumentalist Jude Murphy. I could go on, and remember, that's without mentioning the national and international scene.
So there's more than enough to celebrate on this day. But I wonder about the special difficulties that women in jazz face? I can't speak for the women mentioned as I've never discussed the matter with them, but I notice that the Globe runs special women only workshops monthly. I attended these before lockdown, very enjoyable and useful they were too. It is said that women are more accommodating with each other and less inclined to rivalry than men. That rule applied at the Globe sessions.
Many of the reviews of jam sessions on BSH remark that 'the sax players took no prisoners' a phrase which makes me cringe. Is jazz a war? There's a lot of give and take at an effective jam session and each player should get their turn. As long as communication is good and everyone is very sure of when their turn is.
As
for performing gigs, some questions occur to me. Is it easier to perform with
someone who is your romantic partner? Can you keep musical disagreements out of
your love life? What about being in a band with a son or daughter? Can you act
the heavy parent? It must be tempting.
It goes without saying that there is no place for discrimination in the jazz world, in all the usual categories. I'd be interested to read on BSH about what others think about the situation of women jazz instrumentalists. Ann Alex
Ps:
My apologies to anyone that I’ve unintentionally left out.
3 comments :
Since I wrote this piece I've been thinking about this subject on and off all day. Consider the following:
If a woman plays an instrument that is blown, does she put on lipstick?
Can you still play drums if you are pregnant?
How does a woman react if a reviewer comments on her dress but doesn't comment on how the men are dressed?
Is a woman's playing affected by the time of the month? It is said that women get mad once a month but men get mad for the whole month!
What if it's all men at a jam session? Do you even notice?
You could come and see the Wild Women of Wylam - all-female sextet - at one of our next gigs
Thanks Jude, I'll watch for that gig being listed on BSH
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