Anna Ghallo
"Why would you go through all that trouble?” Those were the words of my old professor in Croatia, a respected jazz guitarist who supported my singing efforts, but looked skeptically upon my wish to develop as a composer and pianist in London. I was thirsty for challenges and ready to study abroad, to further my improvisation skills. Professor Bubanovic thought I should just be happy with a blossoming singing career.
Truth is, jazz remains a man’s game, and women are rarely encouraged to venture beyond “singerdom.” Gender and racial divisions should have been overcome by now, and artists should be the first to acknowledge this, but old perceptions die hard. There is still work to be done when it comes to the acceptance of female jazz musicians by their male peers.
Take a look back. When jazz was born, it simply wasn’t appropriate for women to play the clubs into the small hours, hang out, drink, smoke, and take drugs—to live the life of the male jazz musician. If they got the chance to play, it was because they were vocalists who prettified the picture. So, women who made records and appear in jazz history books are almost exclusively vocalists, occasionally pianists. Up until World War II, women instrumentalists were rare birds, usually playing in family bands, circuses, carnivals, or in all-female bands.
Gender roles shifted drastically during the War when men were drafted and women became important work forces in many fields previously considered men’s territory. A woman’s presence in big bands began to garner some acceptance. But in the 1950s, cultural attitudes turned conservative again, and many women moved into musical fields traditionally considered appropriate for women, such as education or accompaniment.
The emergence of the women’s liberation movement in the 1960s brought new audiences to female jazz musicians. The first Women’s Jazz Festival was held in Kansas City in 1978. One in New York City followed. More past and contemporary female musicians are receiving the acknowledgment they deserve, but skepticism won’t die: Can a girl actually blow her trumpet? Is she really dedicated enough?
Sisters in Jazz (SIJ) is focused on addressing this issue. The International Association for Jazz Education (IAJE) introduced it seven years ago with the purpose of encouraging and promoting the participation of young women in the art of jazz music. Its idea is simple and natural—who better to introduce women into music making and to support their development than established female musicians? IAJE provides start-up grants to local program directors in the amount of $200 for creating mentoring chapters. These directors then arrange an apprenticeship with professional female jazz artists, which generally means hanging out, jamming, and sharing the experience of making music. Any woman who is studying jazz can apply for the apprenticeship program throughout the year. Those interested can obtain the SIJ Mentoring Program Handbook and application by contacting IAJE’s office.
SIJ is basically dealing with two educational shortcomings. One is gendered instrumental assignment at an early age—the perception that there are more “feminine” instruments such as piano, voice, or flute. The other is lack of rigorous training—women aren’t being taught with the same commitment as male students.
Laila Biali, a piano student from Humbar College in Toronto and one of the six women selected last year for the SIJ program, says the experience transformed her career as well as her perspective on what it is like to be a touring, professional jazz musician. Of the other five women who won the competition, one was a New Yorker, one had flown from Holland, one from France, another two from Canada. For a week they worked in a group and ended up building close personal and professional relationships with one another.
Dr. Katharina Cartwright, musician-educator and current SIJ chair, was their mentor. Biali considers working with Dr. Cartwright, also known as Katchie, of great value, because, “Katchie offered so much and helped us see outside of our musician bubbles so that we could have more effective communication with the audience. The whole experience helped me to become a little bit tougher by putting us in many high-pressure situations. In essence, it was a huge lesson in confidence-building.”
Dr. Cartwright considers contemporary improvisation courses to be one of the educational inadequacies leading to the current situation in the field. Improvisation courses are generally run by instrumentalists, who are mostly men. Female vocalists simply aren’t encouraged to join in as regular instrumentalists. They are usually treated as guests.
In 1998, SIJ expanded, initiating the International Collegiate Competition to showcase the talents of outstanding female students at the annual IAJE conference. College students compete via taped audition for an all-expenses paid trip to the conference. And it continues to grow—in addition to the initial Michigan chapter, there are chapters in Kansas City, Maine, Illinois, Seattle, Canada, and western Australia.
Without a doubt, the program brings great improvement and plants the seeds for an increased role for women in jazz. It seems, though, that it will require a new generation for long-established gender roles in jazz to finally be discarded. Those brought up during the increasingly liberated past three decades and kids growing up today are aware that it’s equally tough for women and men, just in a different way. And as that batch is starting to run the game—results are finally showing.
Anna Ghallo is a composer and singer living in New York City. For more information on the Sisters in Jazz program, call IAJE at (785) 776-8744 or visit www.iaje.org.
