Aural History: Women Who Broke the Glass Ceiling in Jazz

Despite jazz’s reputation as an exclusive genre, many female artists have made influential contributions that shaped the art form.

Written by C.S. Harper

Photo courtesy of Tom Marcello

Jazz has always been a male-dominated genre. In its early days, men occupied positions as instrumentalists, bandleaders, and composers, while women were delegated to being background pianists or singers. Even today, female jazz musicians struggle to break into the industry. Saxophonist Issie Barratt once estimated that only five percent of jazz instrumentalists are women. Despite the obstacles they faced, many women instrumentalists have challenged gender norms in the jazz industry throughout history and opened opportunities for women to take on leading roles in music.

Women began to venture outside of their roles as pianist-vocalists in the early 20th century. During the classic blues era, Lovie Austin and Lil Hardin Armstrong came to prominence. Although both were pianist-vocalists, they also worked as bandleaders, composers, and arrangers. After writing songs for Bessie Smith and directing shows at jazz clubs, Austin became the musical director and bandleader at the Monogram Theater for 25 years. Armstrong led a group at Chicago’s Dreamland Cafe and wrote “Just for a Thrill” and “Bad Boy,” which later became hits when Ray Charles and Ringo Starr respectively recorded them. Austin and Armstrong’s involvement in traditionally male roles opened doors for female jazz musicians in the following decades.

In the 1930s and 1940s, non-pianists began to find success in the industry. Trumpeter Valaida Snow was one of the first of these musicians, beginning her career in the late 1920s as a child performer. Her adult solo work found widespread success in the United States and abroad, allowing her to perform in Broadway shows and musicals. According to musicologist Dr. Tammy Kernodle, Snow even “shifted the context of jazz away from the Dixieland style.”

Despite Snow’s accomplishments, other artists faced rampant sexism that prevented their careers from flourishing. For example, saxophonist Vi Redd struggled to break free from gender norms, finding more success as a vocalist for Count Basie and recording only two albums as bandleader. She experienced a chauvinist atmosphere at the latter’s concerts: he once introduced her as “a young lady who has been enjoyed many times” before she performed a solo. Nevertheless, Redd is now regarded as a first-rate bebop saxophonist, and she led a successful 60-year career as a sidewoman.

Photo courtesy of RNZ

Some of the most successful women instrumentalists made a name for themselves by embracing instruments that were less popular in the genre. As one of the first female jazz guitarists, Mary Osborne became famous for her skill and work with influential musicians of the 1940s. Vibraphonist Marjie Hyams led her own trio and quartet, becoming an important swing and bop musician of the same era. Dorothy Ashby established the harp as an improvisational bebop instrument by recording 11 albums as bandleader. Despite their innovations, these women experienced many hardships. According to Hyams, she received sexist treatment from her contemporaries: “You weren't really looked upon as a musician ... they just wanted you to look attractive, ultra feminine, largely because you were doing something they didn't consider feminine.” In an interview, Ashby detailed that “Audiences ... were not interested ... in seeing a black woman playing the harp.”

Women composers and songwriters also fought sexist attitudes to achieve success. In the 1930s, Dorothy Fields and Ann Ronnell became two of the first women jazz lyricists when they penned the standards “On the Sunny Side of the Street” and “Willow Weep For Me.” Although publishers rejected the latter song because a woman had composed and written it, it became a commercial hit three decades later. Fields and Ronnell’s impact helped make space for future women writers. In the 1940s, pianist Mary Lou Williams began arranging and composing for artists like Earl Hines and Benny Goodman. Similarly, revered trombonist Melba Liston shifted her focus to arranging and composing in the 1960s, working for Motown Records and pianist Randy Weston.

In the 1970s, women took jazz to new horizons. The era saw a new wave of women composers who brought diverse perspectives to jazz. Most famously, pianist Toshiko Akiyoshi became the first Japanese jazz musician to become popular with American audiences. After forming a 16-piece group now known as the Toshiko Akiyoshi Big Band featuring Lew Tabackin, Akiyoshi began to compose original pieces in 1973. She incorporated elements of her heritage into her compositions, using harmonies and instruments characteristic of Japanese music. As a result, her band became known as one of the most innovative big bands in jazz, winning Akiyoshi 14 Grammy Award nominations for her work. In a similar vein, composer-harpist Alice Coltrane took inspiration from her involvement in spirituality, becoming an important figure in the spiritual jazz movement. She pioneered a fusion of traditional Western jazz rhythms, harps, and instruments from Indian cultures that became known as astral jazz.

Other artists continued to push the boundaries of women’s involvement in jazz. After failing to find gigs during the free jazz era, pianist Marian McPartland adopted non-performance roles in jazz. In 1969, she co-founded Halcyon Records, which produced jazz records for 10 years. In 1978, she began “Piano Jazz,” an NPR show that became one of the longest-running jazz-oriented programs on public radio. In her later career, McPartland used her position as a seasoned pianist and jazz commentator to promote women jazz artists, helping them launch their careers.

Photo courtesy of Ted Williams

All of these women broke major ground and paved the way for future artists to find success in jazz. As a result, the late 20th and early 21st centuries saw a proliferation of diverse women jazz musicians who continue to push the boundaries of the genre. Violinist Regina Carter, bassists Esperanza Spalding and Linda Oh, and tenor saxophonist Melissa Aldana are all minority artists who have made names for themselves as skilled soloists in the industry. Spalding in particular has become an important figure in modern jazz fusion through her innovative blend of jazz and world music. Another visionary, Maria Schneider, has revived jazz chamber music by directing and composing for her eponymous orchestra for nearly 30 years. 

For over 100 years, women have battled sexism and gender norms to create and perform jazz music in their own right. It’s time for the industry to recognize the legacies of these  artists and foster an inclusive environment for future generations of women pioneers.

This article was added to Aural History after its publication, upon the creation of the Aural History series.