ABSTRACT
Histories of women in jazz almost always include discussion of women’s lack of access to the jazz scene, including issues of discrimination that limited their participation, and we will address that topic throughout this chapter. However, it is also important to acknowledge the tendency in jazz histori - ography to focus on single “superstars” designated to represent specialty areas. For example, Scott Joplin is the one-name-wonder of ragtime, even though he was only one of hundreds of published rag composers. Similarly, Mary Lou Williams is frequently the only woman instrumentalist listed in historical anthologies and documentaries, when there were in fact hundreds of other women pianists and horn players. Individuals such as Joplin and Williams deserve the accolades they have received. At the same time, the historical highlighting of one or two individuals per subgenre leads the general public to believe that the elected “hall of fame” members represent all of jazz. Consequently, this chapter highlights the work of women commonly recog - nized in the field, but also introduces a few of the less adulated participants who contributed to the genre. It is hoped that this will lead the reader on a journey of discovery that embraces a more inclusive history of jazz.
