%x Discrimination

Number42 October 20, 1980

The last time I bent Current Con- whom [ spoke at the Congress could ten (s m readers’ collective ear to discuss understand why 1 wanted to do such an my love for the saxophone, I I said 1 had article. If 1 was at a scientific meeting never encountered a commercial record- and said [ was writing an article about ing by a woman saxophone player. A women scientists, there would be a high few readers wrote to me [o remedy this degree of interes[. [ would get a variety situation. A subsequent investigation of strong opinions on the subject of sex showed that there are relatively few discrimination in science. The lack of in- women sax players. However, we were terest on the part of the women sax- able to compile a brief list of recording~ ophone players indica[ed to me that made by women $axophonis[s. It ap- many in the world of music feel a musi- pears in Table 1. cian’s gender is irrelevant. Those women The paucity of’ women sax player~ 1spoke with at the WSC seemed to think raises the touchy question of sex dis- that if a woman had talent, she had no crimination. It is true that some of the problems in competing succe~sfully with greats of are women. Ho}vever, ac- her male counterparts. But as we cording to some of the female saxi$ts we learned, not all women saxophonists feel spoke with, some forms of musical ex- this way. pression were considered “unladylike” One $tatement most women saxists for many years. Voice, piano, and flute would probably agree wi[h is that seem to have been some of the accept- women jazz musicians are more wel- able musical media for women, But ap- come now than ever before. But the field parently o[her instruments, including of women’s jazz sax has had some in- the saxophone, were perceived as “mas- teresting pioneers. Fred L. Hemke of culine. ” One reason for this may be [hat Northwestern University, a notable in the early 1900s, the sax was con- classical saxophonist in his own righ[, sidered primarily an instrument for published a dis~erta[ion on the early military bands. ~ Fortunately, sex dis- history of the sa~ophone. His account crimination in music is on the \vane. contains fome interesting stories about At the Sixth Annual World Sax- women sax players, particularly from ophone Congress (W’SC) at Northwest- the early decades of this century. ] One ern University, in June of 1979, [ made of the fir$t American female sax players an effort to identify women sax players was Eli\e Hall, At the turn of the cen- who had made \oIo recordings and who tury, her doctor suggested she take up could be helpful in compiling this essay. music to combat her apathy and depres- Perhaps the most surprising result of my sion, She chose the sax and became quite quest was this: none of the women with good. She was the first US performer of

650 Table 1. Some recordings by women sax- ody, a B-flat tenor, a baritone, and a ophone players. bass sax.3 (p. 449) The modern counter- Bloom, Jane Ira part of these groups is the all-female W’e Are. Outline Records OTL-137 rock band, such as the “Raincoats” or (PO. Box 104, Waban, MA 02168) the “Mo-dettes” of the UK. Inciden- Redd, Vi tally, contemporary rock music has pro- Bard Ca//. United Artists 01516 duced a few women sax players. Singer- songwriter Lene Lovich plays tenor sax Stobart, Kathy on her albums Stafeless (Stiff/Epic JE Arbeia. Spotlite SPJ 509 36102) and Flex (Stiff/Epic JE 36308). .Saxp/oifafiorr. Spotlite SPJ 503 Take // from {he Top (with Humphrey And a singer and composer named Lora Lyttelton). Black Lion Records BLP 12134 Logic plays tenor and soprano sax for a Kansas Ciry W’onrarr(with Humphrey Lyt- band called “Essential Logic “ on the al- [elton and Buddy Tare). Black Lion Rec- bum Beaf Rhythm News (Rough Trade 5). ords BLP 30163 Unfortunately, there are only a hand- Thompson, Barbara ful of well-known contemporary women Ji’ilde Tales. MCA-MCF 3047 sax players. Jane It-a Bloom, a soprano Paraphertra/ia. MCA-MCF 2852 and alto saxist, produced and recorded Jubiaba. MCA-MCF 2852 an album with bassist Kent McLagan. Variations (with Andrew Lloyd Webber). MCA-MCF 2824 Bloom graduated from Yale University JUSIMusic (with The Don Kendall Five). with a BA in music in 1977. She was also Spotlite SPJ 502 listed in Downbeaf’s 27th Annual inter- national Jazz Critics Poll.-r Another Miscellaneous Artists Women irrJazz (includes Barbara Thomp- American, Vi Redd, an alto player based son and Kathy Stobart). Stash 109. in Kansas City, Missouri, has cut an album called Bard Ca//. solo sax, and the first amateur to play My recent visit to our UK branch in with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Uxbridge reminded me that 1 had not Notably, she commissioned Debussy’s finished the research I began at the Rapsodie for orchestra and solo sax. ~ WSC. Last fall I mentioned the subject (p. 433) matter of this essay to my friend In the 1920s Kathryne E. Thompson Margaret Crowther in Paris. Margaret directed the Southern California Sax- handles publici[y for several French art- ophone Band. She also gave sax lessons ists and musicians, including hlax Col- in Los AngeIes. Some of her female stu- lie, whose “Rhythm Aces” are probably dents became successful vaudeville art- the best Dixieland group in the world to- ists. One, Mary Campbell, was a beauty day. Margaret asked me if I had ever contest winner. She attributed her heard of Carol McBean, who had made beauty to the exercise that sax playing a recording with Ivy Benson. (More gave her face and neck muscles. ~ (p. about Ivy later. ) She gave me the 453-4) A pair of twins joined at the hip telephone numbers of a few musicians in from birth who studied under Thomp- London. Eventually 1 tracked Carol son were Violet and Daisey Hilton. The down to Torpoint, a little towm on the British saxophone duo was billed as Cornwall-Devonshire border. In a “The United Twins” by vaudeville. 3 (p. telephone conversation Carol proved to 453-4) Another female sax player during be quite ebullient and agreed to send me the vaudeville era was Marie McNeil. some of her tapes. Almost a year later I She also directed “The Highlanders, ” a called her again and she convinced me to women’s alto saxophone sextet. The take the four-hour train and ferry ride to group consisted of two altos, a C mel- Torpoint.

651 I was greeted at the door by Carol’s strong. AIOng tne way me nas ooostea husband, Eddie Gasser, a [rombonist other female musicians, including the for the Royal Marine Band. Carol was well-known British saxophonists Kathy about seven months pregnant, which Stobart and Barbara Thompson. ~ seemed to emphasize all-too-well the dif- 1didn’t hear of Kathy until lasl year at ficult choice a female artist may have to Dobells’ jazz record shop in London. make. This will be her second child. This of course displays my American Nancy, age 3 ‘/~, was bouncing around provinciali~m because Kathy had been all during our “interview. ” Carol [old playing with Humphrey Lyttelton for me that as soon as the baby arrived she year$. She is the featured sax player on would be working again. She had been two impressive albums made by Lyttel- playing for over 15 years and while she ton in 1975 in London. I won’t say too enjoyed domestic life $he eventually had much about Lyttelton, but if you are in- to “have a blov.. ” terested in further details you can con- When I showed Carol wha\ I had wri{- SUII his book Take It j_rom fhe Top, ~ ten so far she told me of her many en- named after [he record of the same title. counters with male musicians who had On this record Stobart does some won- been conditioned against the idea of derful folof on baritone sax, not a par- women jazz musicians. “When I had to ticularly “feminine” instrument if one is go 10 a club and ask the piano player if I obsessed with the idea that small is could hake a go he’d be in a \tate of beautiful or feminine. shock. But after I played a fcw numbers Stobart apparently joined Lyttelton’s he would try to hire me on the spot. ” So band in the late 1950s. They made a maybe the problem is not really discrim- record entitled Kath Mee[s Humph, ination per se but bad conditioning. which I have not yet been able to obtain. In 1976, a record store clerk suggested Lyttehon’s composition “Rain, ” orig- to Carol that $he audition with Ivy. Ivy inally included on that album, is part of asked Carol to play tenor sax on a re- Take Itj’rmn the Top, and it is a delight. cording she was making. Carol took the If you are fortunate enough to pos~ess train to London and finished tfre record- the album please let me know or send a ing in one nine-hour session. The record- tape. Another Lyttelton record, A’atl.sas ing has not yet been released. Ivy de- Cify Woman, includes original composi- scribes Carol as “brilliant abso- tions by Buck Clayton, known to Count lutely jazz. ”f Basic and fan$. On it Ivy is not too well known to Ameri- Stobart is in excellent company with cans, but today her records are collec- Buddy Tate sitting in for Clayton. tors’ items in the UK where she is a In the spring of 1978 Stobart recorded legend. During V’orld War 11 she or- an album for the first time with her own ganized “IVY Benson’s All Girl Band” group. The result is an impre~sive effort and has been playing the big band sound called Arbeia, which is the name ot’ her ever since. The band played for service- own composition. Stobart writes and men all over Europe and parts of the plays in a melodic “traditional” style Middle East during the war. Although that most jazz fans can appreciate or she has played sax and since age relax to. t 5, she is basically a pianist. She began Thompson is another matter. It’ you to study piano when she was five years like John Coltrane, you’ll probably love old. She tells us she has certainly ob- Thompson. Her work is rooted in the served sex discrimination: “ I’ve had i[ Coltrane tradition of playing as many as all my life. ” But her career shows it can four chords in place of each one in the be overcome. At age 63 she is still going standard progression. This i$ a style Col-

652 trane pioneered in the late 1950s. Ob- lng. But wnen she plays “>talrways” viously it takes more notes to play four you are reminded of Stanley Turpentine, chords instead of one. To do this in a Barbara’s other band is a nine-piece short space Coltrane had to play at a Latin-based outfit called “Jubiaba. ” blazing speed. According to James Lin- The name is Portuguese for “old \oo- coln Collier in The Making o~.Jazz, “To doo priest. ” The idea for [his group make his method work he at times was came to Barbara after she heard a compelled to place an odd number of similar American band at Ronnie Sco[[’s notes over an even number of beats, and jazz club in London’s Soho di~~rict. The this forced him into irregular time pat- 1978 album ./ubiaba is all original mu$ic. terns that departed widely from the basic including “The Funky Flunky” and beat. . . Sometimes he was playing at “Touch of Blue. ” The first is well speeds approaching a thousand notes a named. minute, not an impossible speed for a Thompson also played sax and clar- classically trained pianist, but unusual in inet on Andrew Lloyd R’ebber’s k’ari- jazz. ”7 (p. 483) As Collier say~ about a(ions album. Webber is best known to Coltrane, there are times when all this American audiences as coauthor, wi~h gets beyond modern jazz improvisation Tim Rice, of the musicals Je.suj C%risf and there seems to be more simple key- Superstar and Evifa. Variations was flapping than any orderly progression of awarded gold record statu$ in Britain. chords. But understanding the cause of For Thompson, it led to a fi~e-record “noise” doesn’t change hearing it into a contract with MCA. Her latest venture is pleasurable experience. Still, listening to W’i/de Ta/es. Itfeature$ a Thompson demanding music may give you the pa- composition, “The Selfish Giant, ” based tience [o hold out for what is really on Oscar W’ilde’s children’s \tory of the worthwhile. same name. Like Paraphernalia, It ‘i/de While you can detect several in- Ta/es became one of the top fite British fluences at work in Thompson’s music, jazz discs within week$ of release. x after you’ve heard her records several According to a recent article in you have to realize that this is after London Telegraph Sunda! Ma,ea:ine, all the Thompson sound—and a won- Thompson is on the brink of fame as an derful, warm and vibrant sound it is. international jazz star, s Obviou$ly ;uch On her first recording in 1974, she an event would go far toward eroding played on the Don Kendall Five’s .JUSI sex discrimination in jazz. On sex Music album. This is a series of BBC discrimination, Thompson if quoted a$ taped performances. Thompson now saying, “ ‘l’\e been lucky to \vork with leads two bands. “Paraphernalia” is the musicians who hate judged me almosl name of a group she has led since 1973. entirely on my ability. But there are peo- The album Purapherna/ia, released in ple who like to think that what I do is 1978, is a collection of eight songs, seven primarily in the cause ot’ female eman- of which Barbara composed. It sold cipation.’ “X AI any rate, Barbara has a 4,000 copies in the UK, which is remark- great future in a fiercely competitive able for a jazz album. A sale of 1,000 business. copies is considered unusual.8 While there seems to be a high Ie\el of I was particularly struck by “Spanish awareness of women jazz mu~icians in Memories” on Paraphernalia. As a great the UK, they remain relatively rare and fan of Jan Garbarek, the Norwegian obscure in the US. To remedy that \itua- saxophonist, the melancholy quality of tion, the first R’omen’s Jazz Festival Garbarek was evident in Barbara’s play- (WJF) was held in 1978 in Kansas City,

653 Missouri. It was organized by disc jock- York City flutist and tenor, alto, and ey Dianne Gregg and singer-pianist soprano saxist, has appeared on II Carol Comer.y Comer tells us that records. Among them are the disco women have never had role models in group “Chic’s” C’es/ Chic (Atlantic SD jazz, have been discouraged from aucfi- 19209) and David 130wie’s soul album tioning, and have faced an indifferent Young Americans (RCA ADL1-0098). recording industry. I(I Hence the annual Several of the saxophonists in the WJF WJF, which draws attention to the fact directory, Fineberg included, lead or that women can play jazz. The 1980 fes- play in live bands. tival, also held in Kansas City, was We telephoned some of the sax play- covered by the C’lrrisliuri .Science Moni- ers listed in the directory to get their tor, 11 The Nation, 12 and the NBC views on sex discrimination in jazz. All Ni~htl,v News, of them agreed that the climate for The festival also publishes an annual women in jazz has greatly impro~ed National Directory OJ Female Jazz Per- within the last decade. But they were ~ormers. The foreword to the 1980 divided on the topic of whether dis- edition asserts: “When promoters, pro- crimination still exists. A woman sax ducers, bookers et al. are confronted player in New Mexico told us some club with the question of why they don’t managers listen to auditions with their often utilize the talents of women jazz backs turned to the musicians. Pre- artists, they almost invariably reply, ‘1 sumably this makes it impossible to tell ~’ould Ioveto feature more women but I the musicians’ gender. A California don’t know who they are or how to woman says women are “more than reach them.’ That problem has been equal” to male jazz musicians today, solved with the publication of {his direc- because it’s almost “like a gimmick” for tory.’’ l~(p. 2) women to play jazz. “[t’s almost hip to The directory, organized by state, lists be a musician and a woman, ” seconds a the names, addresses, phone numbers, musician in Woodstock, New York, “[t performing experience, union affilia- can work in one’s favor. ” An [Ilinoisian tion, willingness to travel, and preferred says men in audiences are still surprised playing style of about 350 US female to see a woman play a gig. Some men jazz musicians. ltalsolists them accord- feel uncomfortable but relax when they ing to instrument. The WJF lists musi- hear that the woman can play. A cians for free, but a copy of the direc- Michigan saxist believes it’s still an tory costs .$2.50, Those who want a uphill fight for women, t bough. “The copy, or who want to be listed in the effort has to come from the woman. . . next edition, should write to Women’s She has to get good enough so the guys Jazz Festival, Inc., P.O. Box 22321, will sit up and say ‘Whoo, she’s Kansas City, Missouri 64113. good.’ “ The 1980 directory Iists about 40 US Some women believe women’s own female saxists. No doubt there are more perceptions of the jazz scene are holding than that in this country; Redd, for ex- them back. A Maine sax player says ample, isn’t Iisted, andit’s unlikely that many women think they can’t play jazz every professional woman sax player in because they’ve never seen it done the US has heard of the WJF or its direc- before. She also raises the “femininity” tory. Of the women listed, none, except issue: “We think we’re supposed to look for Bloom, has made a solo recording. a certain way. . We’re afraid to get Some have backed up other musicians. up and really blow. ” Another California For example, Jean Fineberg, a New saxist who is forming a jazz band says

654 women experience psychological their own as serious musicians. The pressures when “trespassing” on tradi- development of events such as the WJF tional male territory. As a result, she is providing the needed support and says she has had to overcome the helping to erode the barriers of dis- discomfort caused by [he fact that she is crimination. I expect that we’ll soon be supervising male musicians. Still, she seeing more women gain national repu- plans to forge ahead. tations as jazz musicians. I further ex- Yet another Californian says most pect that their presence will enhance and serious female sax players haven’t yet enrich the world of jazz. reached their peak simply because they’re too young. “I think that in about **** 10 years you’re going to see a lot of mature women saxophone players who really have it together. ” My thanks 10 Linda Cooper, Janet K. While there doesn’t seem to be a Friese, Thomas Marcinko, and Suzanne women’s movement per se in jazz, Miller for their help in the preparation women are indeed gradually coming into of this essay. O*W K

RKSWRtNCttS

1. Gatileld E. Everything you always wanted to know about fax but were afraid to ask. Curretr/ Corr/etr/.$ (25):5-11, 18 June 1979. 2. Williams C. Tbe orchestral saxopborre. /rr\fnmrerrfa//$/ 32(9): 129-30, April 1978, 3. Hemke F L. The earl.v history of the .sa.wzphme. Ann Arbor: University Microfilms International, 1979. 568 p, 4, Sussm’.rrrA. 27th annual international jazz critics poll. .% WObtWI46(14):16-17, 9 Augw 1979. 5 Ben.wn 1. Telephone communicant ion. 29 August 1980. i: L}tlellnn H. Take {t from /he /op. London: Robe\on Books, 1975. 168 p. 7, Collier J L. The trrakmg of jazz. Bwon: Houghton !vfiftlin, 1978. 543 p. 8. Graham-Ranger C. Mother plays the \axopbone. Telegraph Surrda.v Magazine ( London) 13 July 1980, p. 47-54. 9. New, old s[ars shine at second annual Women’s Jazz Festival. Jazz Echo 9(41): 11, June 1979. 10, [omer C. Telephone communication. 25 June 1980. Il. Ouncarr A. Women’s Jazz Festival: a !winging minori[y. Chr~$fian Sci. &fmrir. 31 March 1980, p. 16. 12. Hentoff N. Indigenous music. NaIIrrn 230( 14):444-5, 12 April 1980. 13, [;regg o & Comer C, eefs. 1980 national direc{or.v of Jenrale jazz performers. Kansas City, MO: Women’s Jazz Fesli\al, 1980, 92 p.

655