Jazzwise Magazine reviews Sammy Stein's "Women in Jazz - The Women, The Legends & Their Fight"
A review of Sammy Stein's "Women in Jazz- The Women, The Legends & Their Fight" in this month's Jazzwise Magazine.
Jane Cornwell writes,
“Women in jazz: see them? Like, really ‘see’ them? They’re there, and working hard – and out of necessity, harder – to pursue their passion on a playing field that is still shockingly uneven… Jazz remains stubbornly anachronistic, asserts Stein in the intro to this timely book. Disagree? It’s all here, beautifully written, eloquently argued, clear-eyed in its intentions and open in its invitation to come one, come all and sort it out. Jazz is given loose definition and historical context, with an illuminating chapter on New Orleans now and then. We’re re-introduced to pioneers: Melba Liston, whose complex arrangements made Dizzy’s musos gasp. Bessie Smith, buried in an unmarked grave until female fans arranged a headstone. Hazel Scott, targeted by McCarthyites in 1947, and a singer who advised Billie Holiday to “never let them see you cry”. Interviews with today’s women in jazz document challenges faced – from the male gaze to unsisterly women – and rewards reaped. Firsthand accounts from the likes of Terri Lyne Carrington, Georgia Mancio and Claire Martin are elucidating...”
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