The first woman Jazz musician (instrumentalist) I really got into was Alice Coltrane. I took a date to see her in a small club south of L.A. She blew me away, but that was without Pharoah Sanders. Her albums with Pharoah Sanders, like "Journey Through Satchidananda" were groundbreaking. They were influenced by John Coltrane's spirituality but were not at all deriviative. I know certain people like more "standard" jazz that followed bebop, but I love all of the new incarnations. I prefer jazz that goes more to the heart than the head, and women are very good at that. BTW, "Journey Through Satchinanda" AAA reissue mastered by Ryan Smith at Sterling Sound is fantastic. There is at least one other reissue that was taken from digital sources. I mistakenly purchased it and it screeched into my ears. If you're going to buy it on vinyl, look for the real deal.
How women, both American and internationally, have affected jazz.
As I watched Ken Burns history of jazz, it was no secret that women were rarities in the jazz world until the 1970s when things began to open up a bit, especially in Brazil. And I must admit i am a big fan of Brazillian jazz.
There have always been women's presence in singing, however. Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughn, and Ellla Fitzgerald, just to name a few. Astrid Gilberto was the first Brazilian singer I heard (on the Jonny Carson Show) and I immediately fell for her whispering breathy voice.
I would like to throw out an American singer as my first offereing. I am smart enough not to make it Patricia Barber or Diana Krall, both of whomn are excellent jazz pianists, because I've already seen how most "serious" jazz afficianados dismiss them right off the bat. Instead, I will submit the name of Cassandra Wilson.
I have been listening to jazz most of my life, and I have gone to many live jazz concerts. With that background, I consider Cassandra Wild to be a true innovator in jazz singing. I have recently purchased three of her albums. I have never heard any other singer like her. If you have not heard her, I would suggest "New Moon Daughter." If you have a turntable, there is a fantastic AAA album reissue. I can't stop playing it.
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Rick Beato’s interview with Hiromi is well worth watching: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcKd9OkMPcc He is clearly entranced... with good reason! "Head vs. Heart" is a false dichotomy. Personally, I want both.
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Found Nancy Bryan by accident, so glad I did. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGFjTbYJva0&list=RDkGFjTbYJva0&start_radio=1 |
Jazzmeia Horn (Sarah Vaughan Vocal Competition Winner 2013), at Blue Smoke, NYC (sadly gone) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECEbjJwXSbo&list=RDECEbjJwXSbo&start_radio=1 "This victory launched Horn's career, leading to her winning the 2015 Thelonious Monk International Vocal Jazz Competition and releasing her debut album, A Social Call, in 2017." not my photo, wish it was |
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