“You play well… for a girl” is a phrase many female musicians will hear many times over the course of their lifetime, but when will women be treated as equals to their male counterparts?
Jazz players dedicated a set to female composers and jazz musicians at The Nash on Friday to emphasize their important contributions to jazz music in a community heavily dominated by men.
The show “#MeToo – A Concert of Contemporary Women in Jazz” featured the compositions of Mary Lou Williams, Ingrid Jensen and a version of Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now” arranged in a jazz setting.
“(Female musicians) need to have a support system,” said Claudia Bloom, a jazz pianist, recounting her years of often being the odd girl out in jam sessions as a student musician. “When no one else in your class (is female), it’s harder.”
Bloom said in her earlier years, she used to want to go to jam sessions with other students, but it was always so male-dominated that she did not always feel comfortable and felt that her male peers made negative assumptions about her abilities. She hopes that with more knowledge about women’s contributions to jazz, women will be more accepted in jazz circles and find other female jazz artists as the genre continues to expand across gender barriers.
“A lot of (women) aren’t as known,” said Connor Sample, a jazz drummer in the quartet. “They’re not as deep in the lineage of jazz. This show hit differently, like, oh, I’ve never heard of her. The jazz community is historically really sexist.”
Bloom and Mary Petrich, a saxophonist in the quartet, harmonized seamlessly with intricate pieces while Sample added the essential jazz rhythms on the bass to accompany the infectious melodies. There was obvious chemistry between the artists on stage, something essential to a great group, according to Sample.
Bloom also explained how orchestras have found new ways to be less biased about their performers, and have, as a result, hired qualified and talented individuals regardless of gender.
“(People) never hired women for orchestras because you could say the men were better,” Bloom said. “It wasn’t until there were blind auditions behind curtains that more women were hired.”
At the closing of the show, Petrich gave her thoughts about the importance of recognizing female artists, particularly female sax players.
“There are more and more (female sax players),” Petrich said. “But we need to fight the good fight and be present for young girls and young people.”
Petrich and Bloom encouraged the audience to continue to give recognition to the hard work of female jazz artists.
Contact the reporter at tmlane3@asu.edu.
Correction: A previous version of this article incorrectly attributed a quote to Ted Sistruck, the band’s bassist. The story has been updated to reflect that it is Connor Sample who was quoted.
