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LADY BE GOOD focuses on women who played jazz during decades when to be a woman in jazz was to be truly an exception. The homebound status of women was enhanced by women learning to play the piano. Emerging from these homes were excellent women musicians who joined minstrel bands and Ladies Orchestras in the late 1800’s. From this beginning and into the twentieth century, these women moved to the all-women jazz bands, mostly male jazz bands, the women units of the thirties, to the big bands and swing units of the forties and to the combos of the fifties. These chapters of the ongoing story of women in jazz show that many were discouraged by prejudice and an unreceptive culture. Their presence, often against formidable odds, constituted a rebuttal to the argument that women cannot and should not play most instruments. These women are a part of history as pioneers and role models. This is clearly an important story and chapter in American musical history, which is perfectly suited to the documentary format and is a story, which has yet to be told. In addition to telling powerful stories, LADY BE GOOD will educate people about the importance of female musicianship and their persistence in the male-dominated jazz field. This documentary film in two one hour segments, will concentrate on the contributions of American women instrumentalists in jazz from the early 1920’s to the 1970’s and the development and extent of the all-woman jazz groups. Interviews with women jazz musicians, relatives of women musicians, authors of jazz books, jazz archive curators and jazz critics will convey the historical information and personal stories of these musicians. Pictures of the women, bands and film and television footage of the women and their performances will bring these stories to life. It will be punctuated with the rare and incredible music created by these women. LADY BE GOOD is divided into segments which focus on particular issues; “All In The Family”, “Show Business” and “Dancehalls and Riverboats” (covers women’s musical opportunities in the 1920’s), “Gotta Have A Gimmick”, “Cut The Stuff”, “Swingin’” and “Image” (covers stories of sexual and racial prejudice and overcoming vast and constant obstacles at different stages of careers), “USO” (includes the increase of all women bands during WWII) “Post War” and “Sell It” (regards womens roles and changes in the music business from small group combo’s to television in the late 1940’s and early 1950’s) and “Call Me A Musician” (details exhilarating stories of performances and the opportunities these women created for girls and women in the decades to follow). |
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| © Copyright 2007 Kay D. Ray. All rights reserved |
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