TRANSCRIPT:
I’m Mark Rapp, and this is Rapp on Jazz.
When photographer Art Kane assembled 57 jazz musicians for the iconic 1958 photo A Great Day in Harlem, only three women stood among the crowd: Marian McPartland, Mary Lou Williams, and pianist-bandleader Willie “The Lion” Smith’s protégé, vocalist Maxine Sullivan. Their presence was quiet but powerful in a sea of men.
Marian McPartland, a British-born pianist, was already known for her wit and lyricism.
Mary Lou Williams, a pioneering composer and arranger, shaped big band jazz and later infused her work with spiritual depth.
Maxine Sullivan, a singer considered one of the best vocalists of the 1930s, influenced generations of singers like Peggy Lee.
Though vastly outnumbered, their visibility in that single photograph reminds us that women have always been central to the story of jazz.
This has been Rapp on Jazz, a co-production of ColaJazz and South Carolina Public Radio, made possible by the ETV Endowment of South Carolina.