Although she is not a household name like her male counterparts, Mary Lou Williams should be. Her music has transcended and inspired generations. Madison will host a Mary Lou Williams Centennial Celebration this weekend, honoring the year that would have been the renowned jazz musician’s 100th birthday.
Williams, who composed for jazz greats including Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey and Dizzy Gillespie, had an exceedingly long-running career as a composer and pianist, spanning nearly every era of jazz history. “She absorbed all of the stylistic developments over the years into her personal brand of music,” Mary Lou Williams Centennial Committee chair Howard Landsman said.
While she did not fully receive the recognition she deserved, she earned their respect and made strides for female jazz musicians. “She was the major pioneering instrumentalist, composer and arranger that opened the door for generations of women jazz instrumentalists to come,” Landsman said.
This weekend’s celebration is largely due to Williams’ visit to UW in 1976, when she took part in a residency on campus, performing concerts and educational programs. Father Peter O’Brien, her former manager and close friend, was reminded of the residency when local jazz pianist Jane Reynolds and Madison Poet Laureate Fabu collaborated on a jazz poetry project that showcased Williams’ life and music in 2009. This in turn inspired him to host a celebration in Madison to commemorate her presence in the community.
The four-day tribute will feature a number of events in her memory, showcasing her contributions to American music. But the celebration has other goals in mind as well. “I think the objective is to inform the public in what they have missed out on. We’re trying to get everyone directly connected to what she has offered musically,” jazz vocalist Carmen Lundy said.
“We’re also trying to help young people get familiar not only with Mary Lou, but also with jazz…and to reconnect jazz with its roots in the black community, ” Landsman said.
In an attempt to reach these goals, the UW First Wave Hip-Hop Theater Ensemble will be performing an original spoken word piece based around Williams’ life and music titled “I am Mary Lou,” Friday at 6:30 p.m. at the Wisconsin Historical Society Theater. The event will also feature a talkback session with UW Professor Patrick Sims and jazz bassist and UW Professor Richard Davis.
The Mary Lou Williams Collective, a group of world-class musicians led by Lundy and jazz pianist Geri Allen will be performing Williams’ 17-movement “Zodiac Suite” Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at the Overture Center. “These are some of the finest jazz musicians in the world that are going to be performing,” Landsman said. “If you were going to be seeing a concert like that in Chicago or New York, you’d probably pay $30-50 a ticket to see these people.” Student tickets can be purchased for $10.
“Mary Lou’s Mass,” a complete jazz mass with styles from blues to bossa nova to James Brown funk, will make its Madison return Sunday at 8 a.m. at Mt. Zion Baptist Church, featuring Lundy and George Shirley, the first African-American to sing lead tenor with the New York Metropolitan Opera. “What I would hope for people in Madison to get is the healing – the healing of the soul that her music has,” O’Brien said. “It’s a spiritual benefit.”
O’Brien will also be hosting a retrospective of Williams’ more than 50-year career Friday at 7:30 p.m. at St. Paul’s University Catholic Center. The retrospective will cover a great deal of her music, including a 10-minute video of her performing her own rendition of the history of jazz.
“Opportunities like this don’t come often,” Lundy said. “I would encourage students to give this little bit of time, and you’ll be eternally touched, so happy that you did.”
Detailed event information for the ongoing festival can be found at www.marylouwilliamscentennial.org.
