Title: Soul on Soul
Description: "The pianist, composer, and arranger Mary Lou Williams (1910-1981) was one of the most significant and influential artists in the history of jazz. A versatile musical genius who experimented with and mastered most of the emerging styles in jazz's evolution, Williams wrote and arranged for such greats as Duke Ellington and Benny Goodman, and was a friend, mentor, and teacher to the likes of Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, and Dizzy Gillespie. Yet throughout her prolific career of nearly six decades, she had to fight to achieve recognition, equality, and acceptance as an African American woman in the male-dominated world of jazz." "Now William's artistic brilliance and lasting legacy are affirmed in this definitive volume, which interweaves biographical details with incisive commentary on her music, performances, and recordings. Setting Williams's intriguing story against the racial, cultural, and musical currents of her times, Tammy L. Kernodle draws on extensive interviews and meticulous research to chronicle the tragedies and triumphs of Williams's stormy private and professional life." "Born to an impoverished, unmarried mother in Georgia, and raised in Pittsburgh, the self-taught Williams started performing publicly at age six, Kernodle follows Williams's harsh life on the road, her rise to fame in the 1930s, her role as matriarch of the bebop movement, and her blossoming spirituality. In her later years, Williams wrote sacred jazz pieces that brought emotional healing to listeners, and she worked tirelessly to help and rehabilitate addicted, down-and-out musicians. She was also strongly committed to advancing jazz composition and to educating others about the cultural roots of jazz."--Jacket.
Subjects: Composers, Pianists, Women composers, Biography, Jazz musicians