Women in Jazz

Women have had an influence on jazz since the early 1920s, not just as vocalists, but as instrumentalists, composers and arrangers, contributing to the evolution of the form. An understanding of jazz would not be complete without highlighting the contributions of women such as Bessie Smith, Valaida Snow, Mildred Bailey, Mary Lou Williams, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, and Sarah Vaughn.

Join Galen Abdur-Razzaq, musician and riveting jazz historian for an engaging presentation that will highlight the personal lives, struggles and triumphs of women who performed in a time when jazz was considered “a man’s world."  This program also includes live performances by Galen (view clips) and a question and answer session.