At the beginning of 2017, things were kicking off in the jazz world. Some people even called it “The Saga of Musical Clitoris”. It all started with Robert Glasper interviewing his fellow musician Ethan Iverson. Glasper, the genre-juggling mixed-jazz guru was saying that women who “you would never think listen to jazz: young, fine, Euro chicks” love The Bad Plus, Iverson’s old group. “I guess that’s one of the reasons to play, really” Iverson replied. Glasper went on: “I’ve seen what that does to the audience, playing that groove. I love making the audience feel that way. Getting back to women: women love that. They don’t love a whole lot of soloing. When you hit that one groove and stay there, it’s like musical clitoris. You’re there, you stay on that groove, and the women’s eyes close and they start to sway, going into a trance.” *Huge public outcry*. Especially since these aren’t two old men from a time when misogyny was commonplace but two forty-somethings who are meant to be open-minded and progressive. Long story short, sexism is still going strong – in music and across other creative fields – and equality seems like a long way away.
When you say the words “women” and “jazz”, the same names always come to mind: Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Carmen McRae and Cassandra Wilson, along with a few other singers. Singers, yes, since the history of instrumentalists has been purely restricted to men. From the 20s to the present, male pianists, drummers, saxophonists, double bassists, trumpeters, harpists, bassists (all non-singers basically) have been able to record their music and go down in history. Things are starting to equal out a little, as shown by the media coverage of the recent albums by trumpeter Jaimie Branch (Fly or Die and Fly or Die II: Bird Dogs of Paradise), cellist Tomeka Reid (Old New), drummer Kate Gentile (Mannequins), saxophonist Matana Roberts (Coin Coin Chapter Four: Memphis) and the English women from the band Nérija (Blume). Yet as a whole, jazz is still depressingly unbalanced.
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Dorothy Ashby Afro-Harping
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Steve Coleman Introducing M-Base - Brooklyn In The 1980's (Jubilee Edition)
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Shirley Scott On A Clear Day
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Gloria Coleman Soul Sisters
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Stevie Wonder Songs In The Key Of Life
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Mette Henriette Mette Henriette
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Regina Carter Motor City Moments
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Terri Lyne Carrington Jazz Is a Spirit
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Bobbi Humphrey Blacks And Blues
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Geri Allen Flying Toward the Sound
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The International Sweethearts Of Rhythm The Best Of
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Esperanza Spalding Chamber Music Society
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Elodie Pasquier Mona
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Géraldine Laurent At Work
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Various Artists Mary Lou Williams 1927-1957: the First Lady in Jazz
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Various Artists Jazz Ladies 1924-1962
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Various Artists Melba Liston and Her 'Bones
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Toshiko Akiyoshi Toshiko's Piano
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María Grand Magdalena
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Jaimie Branch Fly or Die
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Anat Cohen Luminosa
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Nérija Blume
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Melissa Aldana Visions
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Carla Bley Selected Recordings
Artists
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Thelonious Monk
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Toshiko Akiyoshi
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Count Basie
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Carla Bley
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Ray Charles
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Ornette Coleman
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Chick Corea
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Duke Ellington
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Dizzy Gillespie
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Jimmy Giuffre
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Benny Goodman
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Herbie Hancock
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Charlie Parker
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Bud Powell
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George Russell
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Mary Lou Williams
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Stevie Wonder
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Billie Holiday
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Charlie Mariano
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Esperanza Spalding
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Don Cherry
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Melba Liston
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Fletcher Henderson
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Ella Fitzgerald
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Sarah Vaughan
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Randy Weston
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Paul Bley
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Robert Glasper
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Dexter Gordon
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Terry Gibbs
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Paul Motian
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Woody Herman
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Lovie Austin
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Terri Lyne Carrington
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Jimmie Lunceford
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Cassandra Wilson
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Jimmy Smith
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Joe Henderson
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McCoy Tyner
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Jack DeJohnette
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John Scofield
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Stan Getz
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Shirley Scott
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Art Blakey
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Ron Carter
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Terence Blanchard
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Carmen McRae
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Cecil Taylor
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Jutta Hipp
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Alice Coltrane
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Charlie Haden
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Gary Burton
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Pharoah Sanders
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Regina Carter
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Quincy Jones
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Michael Brecker
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Jimmy Cobb
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Tony Williams
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Dorothy Ashby
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Art Farmer
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Bill Withers
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Geri Allen
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Louis Armstrong
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John Patitucci
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Steve Coleman
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Lester Bowie
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Ethan Iverson
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The Bad Plus
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Mary Lou Williams' Girl Stars
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Cecil McBee
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Joanne Brackeen
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Eddie Gomez
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Lil Hardin Armstrong and Her Swing Orchestra
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The International Sweethearts Of Rhythm
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Branford Marsalis
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Vijay Iyer
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Flying Lotus
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Anat Cohen
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Lew Tabackin
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Rashied Ali
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Billie Pierce
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Booker Little
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Gloria Coleman
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Jaimie Branch
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Jane Ira Bloom
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Ingrid Jensen
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Maria Michaela Cuvay-Schneider
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Ina Ray Hutton & Her Orchestra
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Charles Brackeen
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Sweet Emma Barrett
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Thelma Terry And Her Playboys
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Jeanette Kimball
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Matana Roberts
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Melissa Aldana
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Tomeka Reid
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Mette Henriette
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Camille Thurman
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Nérija
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María Grand