Presentation folder "Women in jazz, her side of the story" - Update 2023.09.01

For Marguerite Nebelsztein of the Georgette Sand Collective, one of the authors of Ni vues ni connuesPanthéon, Histoire, mémoire : où sont les femmes ?1 (2017), invisibilization is “the act of making a woman disappear from history. The various mechanisms include simply putting women on the sidelines, completely removing them, minimizing their actions, distorting their existence, diminishing or stealing their work, confining them to the role of wife or sister, and self- invisibilization.”

Convinced that gender equality relies on the notion of women’s heritage, the cultural legacy left by previous generations of women, the Mouvement HF2 has been a specialist in the field of arts and culture since 2014, notably by organizing Women’s Heritage Days, as part of the annual European Heritage Days.

Mouvement HF Occitanie LR3 presents “Women in Jazz: Her Side of the Story”, an exhibition about women who have contributed to the history of jazz. The exhibition is dedicated to women musicians whose careers took place in the last century (between 1880 and 1970) in the United States, the birthplace of Jazz.

This project fulfills several aspirations:

• Reveal a little-known, forgotten, and invisible part of the jazz world by presenting the bold, courageous, and talented women pioneers who have contributed to the history of jazz and improvised music.

• Highlight their careers and their work, through a selection of archival photographs, illustrations, books, press articles, video excerpts, album covers, records, and music.

• Open the doors to a women’s jazz club by offering a truly immersive experience to all audiences: curious minds, music lovers, photography and art enthusiasts, feminists, pro-feminists, young people, as well as the visually and hearing impaired (adapted media).

• Promote the work of today’s female illustrators by giving them carte blanche with “A Tribute to...”

• Present a fully locally sourced exhibition: most of the scenography is done using second-hand frames and other objects and we work exclusively with local printing companies for communication materials and photographs.

Here’s the other story of Jazz!

1. Neither Seen nor Known – Pantheon, History, Memory: Where are the Women?

2. HR: Hommes/Femmes

3. LR: Languedoc Roussillon

MOUVEMENT HF

In May 2006, the French Ministry of Culture and Communication commissioned the first report from Reine Prat: “Equal access for men and women to positions of responsibility, places of decision, and the direction of performances» in the performing arts sector, followed by a second report in May 2009: “from exclusion to interference”.

The first report came as a bombshell exposing discrimination within the performing arts, the extent of which had not previously been known. Following this initial boost of awareness, members of the community took hold of the facts and decided to act. This marks the birth of Mouvement HF, considered an “event” by the philosopher Geneviève Fraisse, referring to its spontaneous and unexpected nature.

The first association was founded in the Rhône-Alpes region in 2008. HF collectives and associations were then created in other regions to form, at the 2011 Avignon Festival, an Interregional Federation of Mouvement HF which now has 14 regional collectives, and 1000 members. The unequal distribution of responsibilities, funding, and opportunities between men and women reveals a major democratic deficit, as well as a form of stagnation within the cultural institution which may be cutting itself off from movements within our society.

Mouvement HF demands true equality between women and men in positions of responsibility, in the allocation of grants, programming, decision-making, and appointments.

To achieve this goal, it has three missions:

• Identify gender inequalities, in rights and practices, in the field of the arts and culture among all functions (artistic, administrative, and technical).

• Raise awareness by educating professionals, institutional leaders, elected officials, and public opinion.

• Steer political policy towards concrete measures.

Mouvement HF initiated the Women’s Heritage project starting in 2014. By creating a website, organizing events, and the “Women in Jazz: Her Side of the Story” exhibition, the association wants to promote the memory of the female artists of the past and share their accomplishments. Gender equality in the arts and culture today requires putting the spotlight on the legacy of female artists and intellectuals from the past.

EXHIBITION DESIGNERS

Lou Prigent

Born to a jazz musician father and a music-loving mother, Lou was quickly drawn to studying music. In 2002, she obtained her degree at the Sèvres Conservatory and her National Music Diploma (BTMM) from Sèvres High School. She then pursued a degree in Audiovisual Production, while interning at Back To Blues and EMC Records, and obtained her diploma in 2005 from Efficom Paris Bastille. She co-created the association Les Fées Dynamites and started her career as a booking agent and artist manager. Les Fées Dynamites developed projects for the groups Zarbituric, Fizcus, and saxophonist Stéphane Spira.

At the same time, she was hired as a programming assistant and ticket office manager at one of the famous Parisian jazz clubs in Rue des Lombards, the Sunset Sunside. She also helped create the club’s Friday night Rendez-vous de 20h event and the monthly Jazz & Snacks for kids. For 5 years, her inner circle was the best of French and international jazz avant-garde.

Since 2012, Lou has been Production Administrator and Cultural Mediation Manager for Jazz à Junas, which organizes three festivals each year in the south of France: Jazz à Junas, Jazz à Vauvert, and Jazz en Pic Saint Loup, as well as a concert season and many educational activities in the area.

She is on the Board of Directors of the Montpellier branch of Mouvement HF Occitanie. And as a member of the Occijazz Occitania Jazz Network, she actively participates in the “Communication and Mauvais Genres - parity and professional equality” committees.

Sandrine Le Maléfant

After studying Musicology at the University of Rennes 2, Sandrine gained experience in the organization of artistic and cultural events with various festivals and organizations in the Breton capital, while at the same time working throughout France as a Socio-Cultural Event Facilitator.

In 2011, she enrolled in the Master of Artistic Direction of Cultural Projects at Paul Valery Montpellier 3 University and completed her training with Da Storm in Nimes and in the Festival Jazz in Marciac Press Relations Department. After a stint in Paris where she collaborated with the Festival Jazz à Saint-Germain-desPrés in 2013, she moved back to Montpellier. In 2015, she created La Boîte à SAndRine, a press relations, communication, and training agency specialized in promoting artists who collaborate with jazz and hip-hop projects in music or street art and photography in visual arts, as well as contemporary music festivals in the region. In 2020 and 2021, she was the General Coordinator of Occijazz - a jazz network in the Occitania Pyrenees Mediterranean region.

Today Sandrine is a Communications Instructor at ARDEC, the Jam Music School, and I&M Académie in Montpellier and Toulouse. She is also a lecturer on Cultural Business Creation and the music industry at the School of Arts and Letters at Paul Valery Montpellier 3 University. Currently, she is developing artistic and music therapy projects for disabled adults.

Involved in women’s issues, their role in society, and professional equality, Sandrine is a member of shesaid.so France, a network of women in the music industry. She is also on the Board of Directors of the Montpellier branch of Mouvement HF Occitanie.

Elsa Viguier

After studying Communications and obtaining a degree in Event Project Management, Elsa quickly turned to the performing arts, and more particularly to music.

Her first co-constructed project was the Rastaf’Entray Festival, a contemporary music festival created in 2009 in the Aveyron department. Elsa was President of the association for four years and was keen to participate in the cultural, social, and economic life of her native region.

This enriching experience encouraged her to continue in that direction. She then interned for the City of Rodez to help organize the Estivada Festival, then for cultural organizations in the Occitania region as a Communication Assistant and Project Manager (SMAC Le Club in Rodez, Festival Le Marathon des Mots in Toulouse), before working for three years as a Communication and Administrative Assistant for Millau en Jazz, from 2018 to 2020.

Since 2019, Elsa has done freelance assignments in communications, ticketing, artist hosting, and production for organizations such as the Théâtre de la Maison du Peuple de Millau (recognized by the government for the quality of its artistic and cultural program) and l’Essieu du Batut, Atelier de fabrique artistique in the Aveyron region, which organizes, among other things, the festival La Grande Confluence, dedicated to movement-based performing arts.

From 2021 to 2023, Elsa worked at 38Riv, a jazz club on rue de Rivoli in Paris. She is responsible for coordinating projects, creating artistic programming, and managing the club’s communication.

As for her activism, Elsa is sensitive to gender equality issues, which is why she joined Mouvement HF in 2020 to help create the “Women in Jazz: Her Side of the Story” exhibition.

PREVIEW

———

A first sampling of the exhibition was presented in three locations in 2022:

· Le Discopathe record shop (Montpellier, Hérault): March 4th to April 2nd

· Festival Jazz à Junas (Junas, Gard): July 19th to 23rd

· Maison de ma Région (Millau, Aveyron) in partnership with the Millau en Jazz: October 22nd to November 24th

This first stage introduced a sampling of the full exhibition by illustrating fourteen musicians with biographies, photographs, books, magazines and/or press articles, album covers, records, and playlists.

We contacted five female illustrators to create portraits of the selected musicians. A genuinely original scenography was elaborated to decorate each exhibition space with frames, period objects, and locally sourced lighting, to bring the historical and authentic jazz club back to life and honor other women like patrons, club directors, label founders, nonmusicians but equally important in their contribution to the history of jazz.

Each of these exhibitions was open to the public and welcomed several hundred visitors. The public, elected officials, partners, staff, and the media were present and showed a keen interest in the exhibit preview.

Each event included a vernissage, as well as cultural activities allowing the different audiences to discover these jazz women in diverse ways: guided tours (press, youth, after-school programs, etc.), cultural walks and talks, musical siestas, musical readings, 16 mm films from 1930 to 1950, gatherings and discussions.

THE FIRST MUSICIANS FEATURED

Lillian “Lil” Hardin Armstrong: pianist, singer, composer, and conductor

1898, Memphis — 1971, Chicago

Dorothy Ashby: harpist and composer

1932, Detroit — 1986, Santa Monica

Alice Coltrane: harpist, pianist, organist, vibraphonist and composer

1937, Détroit — 2007, Los Angeles

Vivien Garry: bassist and composer

1920 — 2008

Peggy Gilbert: saxophonist and conductor

1905, Sioux City — 2007, Burbank

Melba Liston: trombonist

1926, Kansas City — 1999, Los Angeles

Marian McPartland: pianist

1918, Windsor — 2013, Long Island

Mary Osborne: guitarist

1921, Minot — 1992, Bakersfield

Billie Rogers: trumpet player and singer

1917, North Plains — 2014

Hazel Scott: pianist and singer

1920, Port d’Espagne — 1981, New York

Viola Smith: drummer

1912, Mount Calvary — 2020, Costa Mesa

Ginger Smock: harpist, pianist, violinist, and conductor

1937, Détroit — 2007, Los Angeles

Valaida Snow: trumpet player, singer, and composer

1904, Chattanooga — 1956, New York

Mary Lou Williams: pianist, arranger, and composer

1910, Atlanta — 1981, Durham

CURRENT PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS

Radio Clapas 93.5 FM Culture and Citizens

Radio Clapas is an independent radio station based in Montpellier that reaches approximately 70,000 listeners per week. For more than 40 years, and based on independent radio culture, Radio Clapas has given a voice to vastly different audiences, from jazz buffs to rock fans, from politicians to working-class youth. The team at Radio Clapas has contributed to the exhibition by providing their audio archives and technical equipment. They convert records and CDs needed for the exhibition into mp3 versions. They also provide headphones and lounge chairs so visitors can listen to playlists created for the occasion. Radio Clapas also finances SACEM rights to broadcast this music. The station is also committed to promoting the exhibition on air and within its network.

Paris Jazz Corner

An independent record shop for over 30 years, Paris Jazz Corner has become the indisputable go-to jazz record shop in Paris. Since 2001, it has expanded on the web with parisjazzcorner.com and the ambition to offer Internet users the widest possible choice of vinyl records, CDs, and books on jazz and «related» music (African, Latin, and South American music).

A second store has been set up for more than 3 years at the Jazz Corner Café in Sommières in the Gard. Once again, out of his love for jazz and the desire to share his passion, Manager Arnaud Boubet has provided us access to his collection of records free of charge.

Jazz à Junas

The association Jazz à Junas presents a regular concert season, three annual festivals (Jazz à Junas, Jazz à Vauvert, and Jazz en Pic Saint-Loup), and leads many artistic and cultural activities, all aimed at bringing jazz to the broadest audience possible. The association has contributed to the exhibition by lending us their precious Jazz Magazine collection, in which some of the musicians presented appear.

Jazz In

Jazz In is a non-profit organization dedicated to jazz and improvised music. Inspired by the Clap’Coop cooperative, Jazz In created the first multimedia digital production workshop dedicated to jazz and improvised music. Their productions focus on building exposure for their partners’ projects, contemporary jazz, creative music, and exclusive projects, and promoting new talent, primarily in the region. Jazz In is one of the exhibition’s media partners and provides storage space.

CURRENT PARTNER ARTISTS

Clara Langelez: Visual Artist, Painter, Illustrator

Following a career in interior design in Paris and a few years in an agency, Clara decided to head to South America. The trip made her want to draw again and get back to what had led her to study architecture in the first place. First with sketchbooks, then with frescoes on hostel walls, which allowed her to barter for a few nights, she enjoyed the relationship with space very much. It allowed her to share an emotion, her vision, and her inspiration at the moment and leave an artistic trace of her passage. By leaving her message, she could try to touch people, make them stop, and take the time to look. Upon returning to France in 2017, drawing and making murals made sense to her and she decided to devote herself to that.

With a focus on openness and experimentation, Clara approaches her work on various scales and through different media like paper, murals, installation art, and collage. She is passionate about lines as a dynamic subject matter, and all her work converges toward vibrant compositions within which the void becomes a living element - a window to a world of imagination and creation. She also explores the notion of multiple interpretations and optical effects, form, and counter-form, to question the way we observe what surrounds us. With this approach, Clara’s creative process is defined by the environment in which she works, her immersion within the subject, her sensations, and especially her instinct.

Fascinated by the aura of faces and their expressions, Clara also develops her work around portraits, in which she explores the subtle boundary between what we see and what we perceive. This quest translates into a photorealistic reflection of the physical realm mixed with her dreamlike and sometimes abstract world, reflecting the psychological and sensitive side of us all.

For the exhibition, Clara Langelez created the exhibition poster and a portrait of pianist, singer, composer, and conductor Lil Hardin Armstrong (1898 - 1971).

Louh-Ann Alexandrenne: Visual Artist, Designer, Illustrator

Born in 1997, Louh-Ann Alexandrenne is a French-Senegalese and Polish multidisciplinary visual artist. Self-taught, from an early age she immersed herself in the stories she would draw and trace the portraits of the adults around her on piles of post-it notes.

She was a highly active child but was slowed down by illness. Diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis at the age of eight, drawing allowed her to develop her sensitivity and find a way to let out her energy. Since then, Louh-Ann has continued to draw, but also paint, sculpt, write, and animate stories.

Despite a chaotic experience in art school, she graduated and was determined to make a living from her art. Her passion for jazz led her to study the movement around the world, particularly between Europe and North America, and to collaborate with musicians on today’s jazz scene like Yonathan Avishai, Trevor Watkis, and Yaron Herman.

Sensitive to the role of female nudity, she also confronts censorship while gently addressing the delicate topic of her invisible illness. Louh-Ann remains faithful to traditional techniques like drawing on paper but is now taming digital art, specifically via animation.

For the exhibition, Louh-Ann Alexandrenne created a portrait of pianist and singer Hazel Scott (1920 - 1981).

Marie-José Doutres: Sketchbook and Visual Artist

The design principles of Bauhaus allowed Marie-José to build the foundation for her 5 years studying at BeauxArts and 20 years teaching art at the School of Architecture. They also gave her the words to communicate, beyond her own fascination, the relationship between art and science.

This open book was filled and updated by her students’ questions and the contemporary world and has influenced and reasoned her responses.

Drawing has accompanied her along the way, back and forth between art and professional realms. This daily “writing” has helped her find the language to assert her approach and reinforce her commitments.

Sketchbooks of the Occitanie Region came about quickly, and her 2002 work entitled “Census of the Population” at the Espiguette naturist beach in Grau du Roi, was published in “Visa pour le Gard” by the Departmental Board.

In June 2020, after 6 years of political commitment, Marie-José left her position as deputy mayor in charge of culture in Vauvert, a town of 12,000. With the Left re-elected in June, Marie-José remains profoundly convinced of the importance of culture in the community.

For the exhibition, Marie-José Doutres created a tribute to women in jazz with a nod to Vivien Garry (1920 - 2008), bass player and composer.

Chloé Guillermin: Illustrator, Tattoo Artist

Chloé has built her career through a multitude of artistic experiences from her studies in visual communication until today. After graduating in Fine Arts (BeauxArts Besançon) in 2016, Chloé flew to Taiwan to paint a bit, then immersed herself in the daily sights and sounds of Japan for a two-month residence. In 2017, she settled in Montpellier and chose to focus on drawing.

For this multidisciplinary artist, creation is compulsive: from drawing to sculpture, embroidery to performance, silk screening to digital images, she tries to channel raw energy to encompass and give light to a sometimes unpalatable, sometimes poetic vision of what surrounds her. One foot anchored in reality, the other waltzing in a dream world, solo one day and group collaboration the next. On a whim, Chloé tries to render the ebb and flow that envelops us visible by showing the singularity of a line, the contour of how she sees the world.

For the exhibition, Chloé Guillermin created a portrait of pianist, arranger, and composer Mary Lou Williams (1910 - 1981).

Roxana Trigo Dávila: Illustrator

Roxana is originally from Mexico and has a master’s degree in graphic design. For three years she worked abroad in the marketing and communication field, and as a photographer for informational campaigns and citizen movements in Mexico.

Roxana is currently an illustrator and graphic designer, based in Lille. For the past few years, she has been collaborating on the Nakawé doc project, illustrating portraits of forgotten women in history.

Unconfined to a particular style, her artwork combines both traditional and digital illustration techniques. For the exhibition, Roxana Trigo Dávila created a portrait of Dorothy Ashby (1932 - 1986), a harpist and composer.

CURRENT SERVICE PROVIDERS

Tomoe

Based in Montpellier since 2011, Tomoe is a multi-support printer: paper, large format, textile, promotional items, creation, etc. The company collaborates with non-profit, culture, and art sectors (partnerships, sponsorship). Most of their business is local (Montpellier metro area).

Tomoe · 3 bis rue Bastide, 34000 Montpellier tomoe.fr | +33 4 67 83 55 65 | contact@tomoe.fr

Positif Lab

Professional photographers for over 20 years, the Positif Lab team offers digital prints, film development as well as museum-quality exhibition prints.

Positif Lab · 46 rue Saint Guilhem, 34000 Montpellier positiflab.fr | +33 4 67 66 42 79 | contact@positiflab.fr

Fanny Combes Photographie

Fanny has been a Professional Photographer for over 14 years and is based in Montpellier (Hérault Department) in the south of France.

Step by step, she has built her photographic identity, evolving, changing, and growing over the years as she moves forward. As her view of the world evolves, so do her images.

In addition to her professional activity, three years ago she joined the WonderMeufs tribe, an association in Montpellier whose main function is to support women from Occitania in their professional or personal projects.

Fanny Combes Photography · 121 Rue Fontcouverte, 34000 Montpellier

fannycombesphotographie.com | +33 6 74 58 78 44

Adler, L. and Vaieville, C. (2019) The Trouble with Women Artists: Reframing the History of Art. Flammarion, Art History Collection.

Allen, C. (2004) Valaida - a Novel. Virago.

Bagieu, P. (2018) Brazen: Rebel Ladies Who Rocked the World. Ebury Press.

Balen, N. (2016) L’Odyssée du Jazz [Jazz Odyssey]. Liana Levi.

Brun, L. (2016) De l’improvisation à la composition - Entretiens avec des musiciennes et des musiciens de jazz [Improvisation to Composition: Interviews with Female and Male Jazz Musicians]. Particules.

Buscatto, M. (2021) Women in Jazz: Musicality, Femininity, Marginalization. Taylor & Francis Ltd.

Dahl, L. (1984) Stormy Weather - the Music and Lives of a Century of Jazzwomen. Quartet Books.

Daoudi, Y. (2018) Monk!: Thelonious, Pannonica, and the Friendship Behind a Musical Revolution. First Second.

David, A. (1999) Blues Legacies and Black Feminism: Gertrude «Ma» Rainey, Bessie Smith, and Billie Holiday. Vintage.

David, M. (1990) Miles the Autobiography. Interart.

De Gouges, O. (2018) The Declaration of the Rights of Women. Ilex Press.

De Koenigswarter, P. (2008) Three Wishes: An Intimate Look at Jazz Greats. Harry N. Abrams.

Engle, M., Lopez, R (illustrations) (2015) Drum Dream Girl - How One Girl’s Courage Changed Music. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing.

Engle, S. (2021) Mazibuko, L (illustrations) Hazel Scott - A Woman, a Piano, and a Commitment to Justice. Bellwood Presse.

Favilli, E. and Cavallo, F. (2016) Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls: 100 Tales of Extraordinary Women. Timbuktu Labs.

Gelly, D. (2016) 30-Second Jazz: The 50 Crucial Concepts, Styles, and Performers, Each Explained in Half a Minute IVY Press.

Gordon, L. and Singer, B. (2006) Alive at the Village Vanguard: My Life in and Out of Jazz. Hal Leonard Publishing.

Graham, C. (2000) The Great Jazz Day - the Story Behind the Most Famous Jazz Photograph of All Time. Da Capo Press.

Guena, P. (2007) Pannonica. Robert Laffont.

Hruby Powell, P. (2018); Himes, R. (Illustrations) Struttin with Some Barbecue - Lil Hardin Armstrong

Becomes the First Lady of Jazz. Charlesbridge Publishing.

Husson, A. and Mathieu, T. (2017) Le féminisme [Feminism]. Le Lombard Publishing.

Jazz News Special Edition, Les oubliées du jazz [The Forgotten Women of Jazz], Issue number 77, (December 2018January 2019)

Josephson, B. with Trilling-Josephson, T. (2009) Cafe Society - The Wrong Place for the Right People. University of Illinois Press.

Kastin, D. (2011) Nica’s Dream - The Life and Legend of the Jazz Baroness. Norton & Company.

Katchoura, J.L. and Hyk-Farlow, M. (2014) Tal Farlow - a Perfect Match - a Life in Jazz Guitar. Paris Jazz Corner.

Koperhant, D., Guermonprez, B. and Zissmann, R. (2021) 59 rue des archives. ActuSF.

Dickerson, J. (2001) Just for a Thrill - Lil Hardin Armstrong First Lady of Jazz. Sartoris Literary Group.

Leandre, J. (2008) Joëlle Léandre: Solo. Conversations with Franck Médioni. Translated from French by Jeffrey Grice. Kadima Collective.

Lebart, L. and Robert M. (2022) A World History of Women Photographers. Thames & Hudson.

McPartland, M. (1987) All in Good Time. Oxford University Press.

Placksin, S. (1982) Jazzwomen In Jazz 1900 to the Present: Their Words, Lives and Music. Pluto Press.

Ravet, H. (2011) Musiciennes. Autrement.

Rezé, E. and Rannou, M. (2011) Valaida Snow. Bdmusic.

Rockliff, M. (2018); Wood, M. (illustrations) Born to Swing - Lil Hardin Armstrong’s Life in Jazz. Calkins Creek Publishing.

Roueff, O. (2013) Jazz : les échelles du plaisir [Jazz: Scales of Delight]. La Dispute.

Roster, D. (1998) Les femmes et la création musicale [Women and Musical Creation]. L’harmattan.

Russell-Brown, K. (2014) Morrison, F. (illustrations) Little Melba and Her Big Trombone. Lee & Low Books.

Sand Georgette Collective. (2019) Ni vues, ni connues - Panthéon, histoire, mémoire : où sont les femmes ? [Neither seen, nor known - Pantheon, History, Memory: Where are the Women?] Pocket.

Tamaillon, S. and Horviller, P. (2020) La Baronne du Jazz - La vraie vie de légende de Pannonica de Koenigswarter [The Baron of Jazz - The Real Life of the Legend Pannonica de Koenigswarter]. Steinkis.

Tauzin, A. (2013) Musique, femmes et interdits [Music, Women and Taboos]. Ambronay.

Wlodarczyk, I., Possentini, S.M.L., Diaz, P. and Petits Loups des Voix. (2018) Ruby. Lirabelles PublishingIn partnership with Jazz à Junas

This bibliography is non-exhaustive.

PRESS REVIEW

Jazz Radio, March 1, 2022 | “Exhibition Women in Jazz: Her Side of the Story”

The exhibition looks at exceptional women who have contributed to the creation, popularization, and evolution of jazz over the decades and who have managed to impose themselves in a very male environment.

FIP (French Radio Network), March 4, 2022 | Announcement during a program hosted by Jane Villenet

(Re)discover the paths and music of the pioneers, the revenants, the bold, the gentle, the subtle, and the talented jazzwomen from 1880 to 1970 in the United States. Lil Armstrong, Mary Lou Williams, Marian McPartland, Melba Liston, Mary Osborne, Valaida Snow, Dorothy Ashby, Hazel Scott, Vivien Garry, Viola Smith, Alice Coltrane, Ginger Smock, Billie Rogers, and Peggy Gilbert.

L’Art Vues, March 4, 2022 | “Montpellier: Women in Jazz Exhibition at the Discopathe from March 4 to 28”

How did these women from different backgrounds contribute to the construction of Jazz? The exhibition is an opportunity to cross the paths of these amazing and unpredictable jazzwomen.

Midi Libre (French Daily Newspaper), March 4, 2022 | “Jazz is Also a Woman’s Game”

You’ll have a great time getting to know these women who were instrumental to the jazz industry, and never forget their names.

France Musique (French National Radio Station), March 8, 2022 | “Jazz Culture: Exhibition Women in Jazz: Her Side of the Story, in Montpellier”

The exhibition shows these exceptional women in the context of their era from both a historical and musicological perspective.

Mediapart Blog, August 3, 2022 | “Jazz à Junas, une carrière bien remplie”

With many artists already included in the catalog, the «Women in Jazz» exhibition gains in breadth each day. A natural evolution.

GUESTBOOK EXCERPTS

Portraits, names, faces, extraordinary destinies of jazz women I didn’t know. I will no longer say «Are you sure? Oh really? « Now I know and I’m going to say it! Thank you for this exhibition, for making them (us) visible, and not only to say they existed and counted but that they have also contributed considerably! Well done.

Magali

Truly sublime. Congratulations and long life for this adventure!

Cécile

Fantastic little exhibition. These women are beautiful and full of life and talent. What a pleasure to discover them!

Hélène

How did humanity get stuck in sexism? Thank you for bringing this story to light.

Many of us are sensitive men, dreaming of a time when gender is not a determining factor. Here’s to the music!

Ulysse

A beautifully orchestrated flashback! Congratulations on your success and many thanks for choosing our small business for this exhibition. I think the launch was a great success. Good luck and all the best for the future. On behalf of the entire Discopathe team, thank you!

Au nom de toute l’équipe du Discopathe, merci !

Simon

NEXT STEP: RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT ———

The exhibition is destined to become a deeply engaging experience immersing visitors in different images of real jazz clubs and retracing the history of jazz.

New media will be added such as portraits, archival photographs, illustrations, unpublished installations, audio and video archives, unpublished interviews, original scores, stage outfits, original instruments, games for young visitors, trilingual French/English/Braille labels, new and in situ murals, etc.

New cultural activities are being developed for the general public, people with disabilities, professionals, schoolchildren, and conservatories or music schools.

The exhibition is intended to be accessible to all audiences to share historical and musicological knowledge, as well as information on civil and women’s rights.

The choice of musicians and professionals is defined according to several priorities:

• Present a wide variety of instrumentalists. Although jazz history has been written to include emblematic female singers, most of the women instrumentalists of the 20th century have been forgotten. Yet the contributions of these musicians have been countless. Furthermore, it is obvious that we still assign instruments to a very gendered practice. This project’s goal is to stimulate a new way to consider this approach by showing that in the last century, there were indeed female conductors, composers, arrangers, and all sorts of instrumentalists and they can become models once again.

• Present real cases of invisibilization.

• Present women musicians committed to the fight against racial, sexual, and gender discrimination.

• Present women musicians who were pioneers or considered pioneers in their field: first Black woman to host a television show, premier career instrumentalists, the very first all-woman orchestras, pioneer female composers acclaimed by musicians, etc.

• The exhibition will also present music industry professionals, women of major influence but behind the scenes, who have undeniably contributed to the development of this music as producers, patrons, managers, and editors. And without whom, the evolution and influence of jazz during the 20th century in the United States would certainly not have been the same.

To develop all these new facets of the project, Mouvement HF is actively seeking new partners, collaborators, and benefactors, including financial, moral, and technical, to continue research in France and now in the United States.

POTENTIAL PARTNERS & ARTISTS

———

Musicians:

Lovie Austin: pianist, conductor, composer

1887, Chattanooga – 1972, Chicago

Beryl Booker: pianist

1922, Philadelphie – 1978, Berkeley

Una Mae Carlisle: singer and pianist

1915, Zanesville – 1956, New York

Norma Carson: trumpet player

1922, Portland – 2005

Tiny Davis: trumpet player

1910, Memphis – 1994, Chicago

Dorothy Donegan: pianist

1922, Chicago – 1998, Los Angeles

Margie Hyams: vibraphonist

1920, New York – 2012, Arcadia

Terry Pollard: pianist and vibraphonist

1931, Détroit – 2009, Bronx

Emily Remler: guitarist

1957, Englewood Cliffs – 1990, Sydney

Shirley Scott: organist

1934, Philadelphie – 2002, Philadelphie

Maxine Sullivan: trumpet player, trombonist, singer

1911, Homestead – 1987, New York

Professionals: Pannonica de Koenigswarter: patron of the arts, music lover, photographer, painter

1913, Londres - 1988, New York

Lorraine Gordon: Village Vanguard club owner, activist

1922, Newark - 2018, New York

Helen Noga: jazz club owner and manager de clubs de jazz, manageuse

Rosetta Reitz: jazz historian, author, producer, and feminist

1924, Utica - 2008, Manhattan

Contemporary Artists:

Charlotte Abramow: photography, filmmaking

Pénélope Bagieu: drawings

Florie Berger: photography

Pauline Dupin-Aymard: illustrations

Priscilla Horviller: drawings

Jana & Js: collages

Koralie: drawings

Ladybug: street art

Madi: illustrations

Noon: illustration and collages

Liana Raberanto: illustrations

Roxane Rastrelli: illustrations

Crying Sailor: street art

Soca: origami

Rachel Weasel Fisher: illustrations

CULTURAL ACTIVITIES

———

Available Activities

Children’s Reading: “Little Melba and her big Trombon” by Katheryn Russell-Brown, illustrated by Frank Morrison and translated by Jennifer Rowell-Gastard. Bilingual reading with two voices and in two languages (English and French) on the history and life of Melba Liston, trombonist, and jazz composer.

Duration: 55 minutes | Age 5+.

Musical Siesta: portraits of jazz women by two narrators, punctuated with musical excerpts. Podcast on Radio Larzac. Duration: 75 min | Age 7+.

Gender Equality in Music Quiz: state-of-the-art interactive quiz presented by volunteer members of Mouvement HF. An innovative way to question current discrimination in the arts and culture.

Duration: 75 min | Age 13+.

Future Activities

General Public:

• Screening of films, biopics, and documentaries with appearances by filmmakers

• Programming of the play “Nica’s Dream” by the collective Le Forum

• Illustrated Concert

• Conferences and musical lectures

Promoting Access to Culture:

• We will devote special attention to accessibility for people with physical disabilities.

• We are considering collaborations with disabled-friendly travel organizations, as well as retirement homes.

• Communication materials for the exhibition will also be accessible to the blind and visually impaired. For Professionals:

• Training offered for professional teams on issues of gender and professional equality and the notion of women’s heritage.

Schools and Conservatories:

• Masterclasses and work around the repertoire of these women in partnership with middle schools, high schools, conservatories, and music schools

• Podcast recording

• Creation of a game about the history of women in jazz and their invisibilization

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ———

We would like to thank our financial partners: Occitania Regional Board of Cultural Affairs (DRAC), Occitania Regional Board of Women’s Rights and Equality (DRDFE), National Center for Music (CNM), Hérault Department and the City of Montpellier.

To our collaborators: Radio Clapas, Jazz Corner Café, Jazz à Junas, Louh-Ann Alexandrenne, Marie- José Doutres, Chloé Guillermin, Clara Langelez, and Roxana Trigo Dávila.

To the teams at the Discopathe, Jazz à Junas, and Millau en Jazz for hosting preview events in 2022.

To all those who have supported us in putting together this exhibition. To our audience always present and curious.

Mouvement HF Occitanie LR

Le Tri Postal

120 rue Adrien Proby

34090 Montpellier

mouvementhfoccitanielr@gmail.com

Exhibition Graphics © Clara Langelez | Photos Discopathe © Fanny Combes

Photos Jazz à Junas © Sandrine Le Maléfant, Véronique Lesage, Lou Prigent, Ton van Meesche

Photos Maison de Ma Région © Elsa Viguier, Gérard Rouquette, Claire Devic

Artwork of Exhibition Co-Creators © Louh-Ann Alexandrenne

Follow the Montpellier branch of Mouvement HF

Facebook: @mouvementhflr

Instagram: @mouvementhfoccitanielr