Women’s History Month Celebrations

It’s become a tradition for me to lead a variety of gatherings of fantastic jazz women during March, which officially is Women’s History Month. There is no shortage of talent far and wide and putting these celebrations together is incredibly rewarding.  The goal is to not only showcase some of the amazing musicians near and far, but also music written by women that might not be as familiar as it should be. Of course there are always issues with singling out a specific population group. Similar to Black History Month in February, the achievements of some groups get celebrated during one month but what happens during the rest of the year?  Usually very little as the reason for celebrating minorities is that there are not enough opportunities for them. Hopefully though those showcases will shine the spotlight on some role models and motivate next generations to follow in their footsteps with the ultimate goal of making the celebrations obsolete. While we’re still working with single digit participation of female instrumentalists in jazz, I’ll continue with putting these showcases together  – to showcase role models and share some great music!  Here is what’s in stock this March:

Saturday, March 7, 7pm, Harlequin Theater, Columbus, IN – featuring our local ladies with Lauren Robert (vocals), Amanda Gardier (saxophone), Carolyn Dutton (violin), Monika Herzig (piano), Natalie Boeyink (bass), Hannah Johnson (drums).  For this show, we’re rolling through history from May Aufderheide Ragtimes, to Lil Hardin’s Just for a Thrill, Tribute to Etta James with At Last, Carla Bley’s Crazy With You, to Meghan Trainor’s All About That Bass and lots of original music. The Harlequin Theater is in the Fair Oaks Mall in Columbus and a truely unique experience.  Here are all details and ticket info.

Ladies in Jazz2 (1)Thursday, March 11, 7pm, Lexington Jazz Arts Society, Main Library, Lexington KY with Jessie Powell on vocals and backing by Monika Herzig and Arianna Fanning and bass tbd. Jessie is a fantastic vocalist from Lexington and the series by the Jazz Arts Society is always a special treat.

Thursday, March 26, 5.30 – 8pm, Jazz Fables, Bears Place, Bloomington, IN – featuring NY flutist/composer Jamie Baum, multiple Down Beat Award  leader in the flute category and current Guggenheim fellow with Monika Herzig (piano), Amanda Gardier (saxophone), Natalie Boeyink (bass), Arianna Fanning (drums).  We will play music from my recent recording The WJamieBaum2hole World in Her Hands and more. Here is info on Jamie and here is a taste of the recordings.

Saturday, March 28, 7-10pm, Jazz Kitchen, Indianapolis, IN – featuring NY flutist/composer Jamie Baum, multiple Down Beat Award  leader in the flute category and current Guggenheim fellow with Monika Herzig (piano), Amanda Gardier (saxophone), Natalie Boeyink (bass), Arianna Fanning (drums).  Similar to Bears Place, we will play a mix of originals and music by women – here is ticket info.  In addition, Jamie will host an improvisation clinic/ jam session sponsored by the Indianapolis Jazz Foundation and Altus FLutes from 11am – 1pm at the Jazz Kitchen, FREE – be there and spread the word!