Celebrating Women in Oh! Jazz

Geila Zilkha, Purdy (Rebecca Poole), Rita Satch, Susana Ruiz & Tessie Overmyer, some of the women of Oh! Jazz.

It was a sweltering summer evening in New York City when the great pianist Mary Lou Williams took the stage at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1957. Despite being a veteran of the jazz scene, it was that night when she proved once and for all that she was a force to be reckoned with. When she began to improvise, jaws dropped. Williams wove together complex melodies and harmonies with effortless grace, taking the audience on a journey that transcended time and space.

Jack Teagarden, Dixie Bailey, Mary Lou Williams, Tadd Dameron, Hank Jones, Dizzy Gillespie and Milt Orent. Photo: William P. Gottlieb vía Wikipedia (Public Domain).

Jazz has long been considered a male-dominated genre, but women have been making their mark on the world of jazz since the very beginning.

Jazz has long been considered a male-dominated genre, but women have been making their mark on the world of jazz since the very beginning. And Mary Lou Williams was just one of the trailblazing women who helped shape the history of jazz. From Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday and Nina Simone, women have been at the forefront of the jazz world for decades.

However, for too long, their contributions were often overlooked or dismissed. They were expected to sing the songs written by men, to play second fiddle to male bandleaders, and to accept lower pay and fewer opportunities than their male counterparts.

Thankfully, things are changing for the better. Women like Toshiko Akiyoshi, a Japanese jazz pianist, composer, and bandleader who was one of the first women to lead a big band, and drummer Terri Lyne Carrington, who founded the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice, are leading the charge. Canadian saxophonist and composer Jane Bunnett has led all-female bands and has collaborated with female musicians from Cuba, Brazil, among others. And Brazilian pianist and singer Eliane Elias is not only known for winning multiple Grammy awards but also for being a relentless advocate for gender equality and mentoring many young female musicians.

These are some of the musicians leading the change, both as performers and as advocates for greater visibility and recognition for women in jazz. And with the power of digital platforms and social media, it's easier than ever for jazz fans to discover and support women musicians from all over the world.

Here on Oh! Jazz, we are lucky to count many women whose voices are being amplified as they reshape the jazz landscape for the better.

Here on Oh! Jazz, we are lucky to count many women who are extraordinary musicians whose voices are being amplified note by note as they reshape the jazz landscape for the better. If you want to hear what positive change sounds like, you don’t want to miss these extraordinary performances on Oh! Jazz.

Geila Zilkha, live from Body&Soul in Tokyo

Purdy (Rebecca Poole), live from 606 Club in London 

Rita Satch, live from The JazzLab in Melbourne

Susana Ruiz, live from Café Berlín in Madrid

Tessie Overmyer, live from Foundry 616 in Sydney