ipl-logo

Mary Lou Williams Accomplishments

1114 Words5 Pages

Mary Lou Williams was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger. “She wrote hundreds of compositions and arrangements, and recorded more than one hundred records (in 78, 45, and LP versions). Williams wrote and arranged for such bandleaders as Duke Ellington and Benny Goodman, and she was friend, mentor, and teacher to Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Tadd Dameron, Dizzy Gillespie, and many others (Wikipedia).”
Born Mary Elfrieda Winn in Atlanta, GA, May 8, 1910, Williams was one out of eleven children raised in a single parent household. She didn’t know her biological father until she was in her twenties and her mother was an alcoholic that made ends meet by taking in laundry. Her family eventually moved to Pittsburgh, …show more content…

Then there was Duke Ellington and Thelonious Monk who met their career demise in the early nineteen forties. But Williams, in continuing to outdo herself, also outdid these heroes of her time in several crucial respects: she played better in her sixties than she ever did, reaching an artistic fulfillment in the nineteen-seventies that was due to the triple coincidence of external circumstances of the music world, those of her personal life, and those of her own creative evolution (The New Yorker). I admire Mary Lou Williams’s strength, persistence and talent, what did in her era was monumental. Being a woman. African-American, composing and arranging music; as well as leading a band was not a common thing back in her time. But she did and did it well! She finesse her craft from era to era making her one of the most influential female jazz musicians of all …show more content…

Oxford University Press. Web. 7 Nov. 2015.
Brody, Richard. "A Hidden Hero of Jazz - The New Yorker." The New York. The New Yorker, 21 Sept. 2015. Web. 7 Nov. 2015.

“Mary Lou Williams." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 14 Oct. 2015. Web. 6 Nov. 2015

"Mary Lou Williams Biography." The Biography.com. A&E Networks Television. Web. 7 Nov. 2015.

Ratcliffe, David T. "Mary Lou Williams - Giant of Jazz." Mary Lou Williams - Giant of Jazz. Ed. Rebecca Michele Lord. Rat Haus Reality Press. Web. 6 Nov. 2015.

"The Top 10 Female Jazz Musicians You Should Know." Theculturetrip.com. The Culture Trip Ltd. Web. 7 Nov.

Show More
Related
608 Words | 3 Pages

To escape the abuse of her brother in law,she married Moses Williams at the age of 14. Her daughter A`Lelia,was born on June 6,1885. Her husband passed away two years later,so she and her daughter moved St.Louis. In St.Louis,she worked

Read More
702 Words | 3 Pages

He played the saxophone, and the piano. He was also honored the Fatherhood and Family Award of the year in Buffalo. He married Glo Amicbor-Williams and had three daughters named, Rachel, Rebekah, and Eve. Scott W. Williams also served as a research associate at the University of Pennsylvania (1969-1971). He began using the technique of using trees to study Cech-Stone Remainders.

Read More
540 Words | 3 Pages

Going above and beyond her call to duty, Mary has protected black Floridians and people all over the world by giving them an education. Without an education, you can 't succeed in life. Bethune was born the fifteenth child born of a family of slaves in July 10, 1875 in Mayesville, South Carolina and died in Daytona Beach ,Florida of a heart attack on May 18 ,1955. During her eighty years, she accomplished a number of things. Although best known for establishing the Daytona Education and Industrial School which later became the Bethune-Cookman College in 1904 in Daytona, Florida, Mary was a woman of many accomplishments who widely helped in giving blacks an education.

Read More
1215 Words | 5 Pages

Many people admired her for her creative idea of adding other cultures in her music, so that she can connect with diverse

Read More
1391 Words | 6 Pages

R-E-S-P-E-C-T, the song that put on her on the charts, Aretha Franklin, one of the most influential female artists of all time is the artist that interest me the most. With her vocals a mixture of jazz and rhythm & blues, Aretha gained fame. Her vocals were so good, that it made her to have hit records over five years, which later on in her career, cause her to be inducted into the rock and roll hall of fame. Also giving her the title “The Queen of Soul”. Like most artists today, Franklin got her career started by singing gospel, and from gospel to pop and R&B.

Read More
1830 Words | 8 Pages

Hank was the third child of Lillie and Lon Williams, while he was growing up his family did not have a lot of money. His father made his money as a logger and then later he entered the Veterans Administration hospital. He rarely saw his father for the early part of his life. His mother made her money by rooming

Read More
703 Words | 3 Pages

Billie Holiday is one of the most influential jazz singers of her time. Her attitude, determination and most of all her music inspired artists throughout time and inspired major social change. Throughout her lifetime she explored the world of jazz, her identity, and how far the limits of her talent would take her. She exchanged her poor life, full of drugs and scandal for a life of performing the arts and showcasing her talents and abilities. Her incredible determination led her to do what she loved regardless of what anyone thought , which led to her inciting major social exchange; moving black suffering into white consciousness.

Read More
339 Words | 2 Pages

Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington was a phenomenal bandleader and composer, who rose to fame by pioneering jazz, a style of music that has stood the test of time today. It is evident that the theme of the biography, “Duke Ellington: Bandleader and Composer,” written by Ron Frankl, is that Duke Ellington has left behind with him a long lasting legacy on the musical style of jazz. For instance, text states, “Today, his majestic name still reigns over the jazz world as surely as it did a half century ago” (Frankl 105). It is obvious that the author means to state that Ellington has a fantastic legacy, even lasting today, thus supporting my thesis.

Read More
492 Words | 2 Pages

Mark Tucker was a professor, a pianist, and an expert on Duke Ellington’s life and his career. He taught at the Columbia University from 1987 to 1997 and the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia from 1997. His scholarly works included Ellington: The Early Years that was published in 1991 and The Duke Ellington Reader that was published in 1993. He was also the co-author of the book Jazz From The Beginning with Garvin Bushell. Tuker organized the article with Ellington’s Early Years, On the Road, Later Year, Composer, Arranger, Songwriter, Bandleader and Pianist, and the Ellington Legacy.

Read More
855 Words | 4 Pages

In 1915, a woman who would shape the meaning of jazz was born. Her name was Billie Holiday. Her life was marked by tumult and poverty; however, through the many hardships she faced, she remained strong and determined. Today, she is regarded as one of the best jazz vocalists of all time. Her renowned voice was distinct due to her abundant use different tones and with her ever changing range.

Read More
975 Words | 4 Pages

Camille Burton Dr. Greene English 1010-3 22 November 2014 Jazz Artists in New Orleans The early development of jazz is closely tied with the community and is a very important part of the history of New Orleans. New Orleans is seen to be the home of new jazz during the 1900's.

Read More
682 Words | 3 Pages

James Baldwin’s “Sonny’s Blue’s” makes great use of different literary devices throughout the story. The author utilizes conflict, symbolism, and the narrator’s point of view to give the story a deeper meaning and significance to the story. Sonny’s Blue’s is about an older brother’s relationship and differences with his younger brother, Sonny.

Read More
1014 Words | 5 Pages

In this paper, I plan to examine the influences that Miles Davis had on jazz. Starting with the bebop era, when his career first began, to his final collaboration released following his death. While in school Davis had learned how to play the trumpet, and following graduation he attended Julliard in New York. However, he dropped out of Julliard in 1945 in order join one of bebop’s pioneers, Charlie Parker. It was

Read More
1218 Words | 5 Pages

Often referred to as "The First Lady of Song," Ella Fitzgerald was one of the most popular female jazz singers in the United States. Throughout her career, Ella was awarded thirteen Grammys and sold over 40 million albums. With a voice that not only encompassed a large range, but a dynamic and powerful sound, Ella could sing almost anything from scatting to the popular tunes of her day. She performed in the top venues all around the world to packed houses, with audiences as diverse as the music she created. Ella came from a small town and impoverished family, but through her talent and determination, skyrocketed to fame creating a legacy that has withstood the sands of time.

Read More
939 Words | 4 Pages

On the day of Sunday April 10th, I went to a jazz ensemble concert at the Trinity University Ruth Taylor Recital Hall. This hall was much larger than the previous performance I attended. My first impression of the group was that they were relaxed and comfortable. For instance, when the drummer winked the drummer gave when the director explained his switch from the trumpet to drums.

Read More

More about Mary Lou Williams Accomplishments

Related Topics

Open Document