Playlist of the week: The women of jazz
October 12, 2020
Far from the most popular genre of the modern ages, jazz is often considered a lost cause. However, back in the 1930s, ’40s, ’50s and into the ’60s, jazz was one of the most celebrated genres of music. Considered glamorous, sparkling, classy and fun, jazz was pioneered by the Black community in New Orleans as a funky mixture of soulful blues, inventive ragtime and quick improvisations.
Yet, despite the early popularity of jazz with big-time names like Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington, women have long gone unrecognized in the largely male-dominated genre.
To give recognition to the women who have long been left in the shadows, here is a compilation of historic hits and modern moods that shine a little light on the women of jazz.
