Gender in Jazz

By Becca Lindenbaum

When one thinks of jazz musicians, the first names that come to mind are always male. But what about female jazz musicians? They are almost never mentioned or talked about, and if they are, it is only the same one or two. Jazz was primarily male-dominated, and most women in jazz sang or played piano, they rarely played any other instruments. Female pianists and those who played other instruments were often compared to male musicians. Not only that, but most of the role models and inspiration of these women were male as well. As a result, female jazz musicians had it harder than many male musicians as they had to deal with sexism along with the challenges that male musicians faced.

Almost no  female jazz musicians ever received the recognition that they deserved. While gender might not be the only reason why female musicians are not as well known, it does seem that it is a large factor. Williams says that Doris (Baby) Hines, a female jazz singer, “never received the recognition she merits.” A possible reason for Hines’ lack of appreciation could be because she is a woman, and male jazz musicians were much more popular. However, there could be plenty of other factors to why Hines did not become that popular. Another example can be seen with the International Sweethearts of Rhythm. They were popular at the time, but not many people know about them now. McPartland says that the spirit and courage of the Sweethearts “have been passed down on to a new generation of talented young women, who are seeking their own dreams.” While this might be true in theory, not enough people know about this band for their legacy to truly pass on to future generations.

There were few female jazz musicians, and most women in jazz either sang or played piano, with very few playing any other instruments. Because of this, there were very few all-female jazz bands, the International Sweethearts of Rhythm being one of the few bands. While piano was a more popular instrument for women to play, Mary Lou Williams talks about how she met few female pianists, other than herself, in the mid-1930s. They included Julia Lee, who rarely took part in the cutting sessions with the other musicians, another named Oceola, Countess Margaret Johnson, and Lillian Harding Armstrong.¹ The fact that Williams met few other female jazz pianists shows the lack of women in jazz. It is not surprising since unlike men, women were not encouraged to play instruments that would distort the mouth or body. This absence of female musicians led to a lack of female role models for jazz musicians. All the musicians that the International Sweethearts of Rhythm looked up to were male. Their role models were musicians such as Coleman Hawkins and Big Sid Catlett.² This lack of female role models could be the reason why the few female musicians were constantly compared to the male musicians of the time. When men would listen to the International Sweethearts of Rhythm, a common response by these male musicians was “You certainly couldn’t consider them in the same league as any good male band.”³ Once again, there is a comparison between male and female bands. An opposite reaction that the Sweethearts (and many other female musicians) received was that they were praised for sounding like men. When the Sweethearts played at the Apollo Theater, the audience could not believe that it was women playing, the listeners thought the band was male.⁴ Mary Lou Williams also mentions how audiences could not tell the difference between her playing, and a male pianist. One cannot listen to her music and automatically assume that the pianist is a woman. When listening to Andy Kirk and Mary Lou Williams’ piece, Walkin’ and Swingin’ (1:50-1:58) it is impossible to tell that the pianist is female just from hearing it. While it can be a bit confusing to tell the difference between male and female musicians simply from the sound of their instruments because there is no difference. It can be assumed that the audience would expect female musicians to sound more delicate than men.  The audience may expect someone to sound a specific way because of their gender or race, and while some musicians might play into those stereotypes, gender and race do not affect the music one plays. This bias could be a reason why many members of the Sweethearts had gender-neutral nicknames. Their nicknames included Vi, Trump, Tiny, Roz, and Tex. These nicknames might have encouraged people to come to their shows, especially those who were cautious about a female band.

The sexism that many female jazz musicians dealt with was appalling. When the Sweethearts would perform, each girl had a flower in her hair to add a feminine touch. The Sweethearts most likely had this focus on appearance to separate themselves from the male musicians since they were so often compared. Likewise, the touch of femininity likely attracted audiences since all-female jazz bands were practically unheard of at the time. Not only was there sexism in the audiences, but there was sexism between female musicians. One such musician was Billie Holiday, who was hypocritical of other female jazz singers. When listening to Ruth Brown, Holiday says that she cannot stand copycats and Ruth Brown copies Miss Cornshucks, a female jazz and blues singer. Later Holiday says that she “copied Bessie Smith and Louis Armstrong– but not note for note: they inspired me.” This is very hypocritical of Holiday, and it seems as if she is putting other women down to raise herself up, which was very common. This also brings up how the only person that influenced Brown was female, while Holiday was inspired by both male and female musicians. However unlikely it may seem, there is the possibility that a male musician was fine to inspire someone, but not a female musician. We have no trouble imagining how a male musician, such as Armstrong, inspired a female musician like Holiday, but it is practically unheard of for a female musician to inspire the music and style of a male musician. 

Overall, female Jazz musicians faced much greater difficulties than their male counterparts. These musicians had to deal with sexism from both the audience and from other musicians. They were often compared to male musicians and had to walk the fine line between acting both feminine and masculine. Billie Holiday was compared, and compared others to other musicians of the time, Mary Lou Williams talks about a lack of female musicians, and the Sweethearts were constantly compared to men.

1. Mary Lou Williams, from “Melody Maker” (1954), cited in Reading Jazz, ed. Robert Gottlieb (New York:  Vintage Books, 1996), 104
2. Marian McPartland, “The Untold Story of the International Sweethearts of Rhythm,” (1980), cited in Reading Jazz, ed. Robert Gottlieb (New York:  Vintage Books, 1996),  638
3. Ibid., 640
4. Ibid., 643
5. Mary Lou Williams, from “Melody Maker” (1954), cited in Reading Jazz, ed. Robert Gottlieb (New York: Vintage Books, 1996), 91
6. Marian McPartland, “The Untold Story of the International Sweethearts of Rhythm,” (1980), cited in Reading Jazz, ed. Robert Gottlieb (New York:  Vintage Books, 1996), 651
7. Ibid., 369
8. Billie Holiday, “Lady Day Has Her Say,” from “Metronome,” (1950), cited in Reading Jazz, ed. Robert Gottlieb (New York:  Vintage Books, 1996), 636

Works Cited
Holiday, Billie, “Lady Day Has Her Say,” from “Metronome,” (1950), cited in Reading Jazz, edited by Robert Gottlieb. New York, Vintage Books, 1996.
Kirk, Andy and Williams, Mary Lou, Walkin' and Swingin', 1936, 01:50-01:58. 
McPartland, Marian, “The Untold Story of the International Sweethearts of Rhythm,” (1980), cited in Reading Jazz, edited by Robert Gottlieb. New York, Vintage Books, 1996.
Williams, Mary Lou, from “Melody Maker” (1954), cited in Reading Jazz, edited by Robert Gottlieb. New York, Vintage Books, 1996.