Mary Lou Williams (1910-1981)

Mary Lou Williams's music stands out from the crowd because, as Duke Ellington recognised, `her writing and performing have always been just a little ahead throughout her career.` A prolific composer and arranger, she was also a gifted pianist. A master of blues, boogie woogie, stride, swing and be-bop, Williams was quick to absorb the prevailing musical currents in her own music, naturally able to exploit her ability to play anything she heard around her. It is this restless musical curiosity that defines her own compositions, and led her to become friends with and mentor many younger musicians, among them Thelonius Monk, Bud Powell, Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie.

Born around 1910 in Atlanta, Georgia, Williams grew up in Pittsburgh, where she had to overcome racial segregation, gender discrimination and the disadvantages of an impoverished family to realise her musical ambitions. Learning to play entirely by ear, she was performing locally by age six. Barely into her teens, she was touring professionally as a pianist, living proof that - contrary to the prevailing views - women really could play jazz as well as men. But her artistic success came at some personal cost, with instances of domestic abuse, two divorces, a gambling addiction, and the ongoing strain of trying to support her extended family, all taking its toll over the years. After taking a spiritual path, she spent some years trying to rehabilitate addicted musicians, and developed an interest in writing sacred jazz pieces, and after a long career of some 60 years she took on the mantle of educating future generations about the cultural roots of jazz.

Over the course of the week, Donald Macleod follows Mary Lou Williams as her life and musical pathways intertwine, from the early years playing Kansas City swing, to embracing be-bop, religion and modern jazz.

When she was around three years old, sitting on her mother's lap as she played the harmonium, suddenly Mary Lou Williams reached up and replicated exactly what she'd just heard her mother do. It was a defining moment. Williams's future had just been decided, and in her own words, 'I never left the piano after that.

The History of Jazz (excerpt)

Mary Lou Williams, speech and piano

ML Williams, L. Gales: Rosa Mae

Mary Lou Williams, piano

Bob Cranshaw bass

Mickey Roker, drums

My mama pinned a rose on me

Mary-Lou Williams, vocals/piano

Willis

Carline Ray, bass

David Parker, drums

Abdul Rahman, congas

Nite Life Variations

Close to Five

Andy Kirk and his Twelve Clouds of Joy

Lonely Moments

Cloudy

Marian McPartland, piano

Kool Bongo

Monk, arr. Mary Lou Williams: Around Midnight

Mary Lou Williams Quartet

Ken Napper, bass

Allan Ganley, drums

Tony Scott, bongos

Donald Macleod charts the extraordinary life of jazz musician Mary Lou Williams.

Mary Lou Williams's music stands out from the crowd because, as Duke Ellington recognised, `her writing and performing have always been just a little ahead throughout her career.` A prolific composer and arranger, she was also a gifted pianist. A master of blues, boogie woogie, stride, swing and be-bop, Williams was quick to absorb the prevailing musical currents in her own music, naturally able to exploit her ability to play anything she heard around her. It is this restless musical curiosity that defines her own compositions, and led her to become friends with and mentor many younger musicians, among them Thelonius Monk, Bud Powell, Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie.

Born around 1910 in Atlanta, Georgia, Williams grew up in Pittsburgh, where she had to overcome racial segregation, gender discrimination and the disadvantages of an impoverished family to realise her musical ambitions. Learning to play entirely by ear, she was performing locally by age six. Barely into her teens she was touring professionally as a pianist, living proof that - contrary to the prevailing views - women really could play jazz as well as men. But her artistic success came at some personal cost, with instances of domestic abuse, two divorces, a gambling addiction, and the ongoing strain of trying to support her extended family, all taking its toll over the years. After taking a spiritual path, she spent some years trying to rehabilitate addicted musicians, and developed an interest in writing sacred jazz pieces, and after a long career of some 60 years she took on the mantle of educating future generations about the cultural roots of jazz.

Over the course of the week, Donald Macleod follows Mary Lou Williams as her life and musical pathways intertwine, from the early years playing Kansas City swing, to embracing be-bop, religion and modern jazz.

A bit of a dare-devil and a gypsy, life on the road appealed to Mary Lou Williams. She couldn't wait to leave her home town of Pittsburgh, first joining Buzzin' Harris and his Hits ‘n Bits on tour, but it wasn't too long before she was attracting attention from some bigger fish.

Walkin' and Swingin

Andy Kirk & His 12 Clouds of Joy

A Kirk, ML Williams: Corky Stomp

ML Williams: Froggy Bottom

Lotta Sax Appeal

Andy Kirk and his 12 Clouds of Joy

Mess-A-Stomp

The Rocks

Mary Lou Williams, piano

Bearcat Shuffle

Little Joe from Chicago

Sammy Cahn & Saul Chaplin, arr. by ML Williams: The Lady Who Swings the Band

Harry Mills, vocal

Herman Walder/ML Williams: A Mellow Bit of Rhythm

Mary's Idea

Twinklin

Andy Kirk and his Twelve Clouds of Joy

Jelly Roll Morton, arr. ML Williams: The Pearls

What's Your Story, Morning Glory

Pha Terrell, vocal,

Scratchin' in the Gravel

Donald Macleod charts Mary Lou Williams's years with Andy Kirk and his 12 Clouds of Joy.

Mary Lou Williams's music stands out from the crowd because, as Duke Ellington recognised, `her writing and performing have always been just a little ahead throughout her career.` A prolific composer and arranger, she was also a gifted pianist. A master of blues, boogie woogie, stride, swing and be-bop, Williams was quick to absorb the prevailing musical currents in her own music, naturally able to exploit her ability to play anything she heard around her. It is this restless musical curiosity that defines her own compositions, and led her to become friends with and mentor many younger musicians, among them Thelonius Monk, Bud Powell, Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie.

Born around 1910 in Atlanta, Georgia, Williams grew up in Pittsburgh, where she had to overcome racial segregation, gender discrimination and the disadvantages of an impoverished family to realise her musical ambitions. Learning to play entirely by ear, she was performing locally by age six. Barely into her teens, she was touring professionally as a pianist, living proof that - contrary to the prevailing views - women really could play jazz as well as men. But her artistic success came at some personal cost, with instances of domestic abuse, two divorces, a gambling addiction, and the ongoing strain of trying to support her extended family, all taking its toll over the years. After taking a spiritual path, she spent some years trying to rehabilitate addicted musicians, and developed an interest in writing sacred jazz pieces, and after a long career of some 60 years she took on the mantle of educating future generations about the cultural roots of jazz.

Over the course of the week, Donald Macleod follows Mary Lou Williams as her life and musical pathways intertwine, from the early years playing Kansas City swing, to embracing be-bop, religion and modern jazz. .

A move to New York in the 1940s saw Mary Lou Williams putting together her own groups and accepting her own commissions to write and record, courted by some of the greatest band leaders of the day. Pushing boundaries, the Zodiac Suite was conceptually inspired by classical music, and she was also mingling and dabbling with the ideas of the be-bop generation in her own music.

Roll ‘Em

Benny Goodman & his Orchestra

Gjon Mili Jam Session

Mary Lou Williams and her Six

Mary Lou Williams Blues

Six Men and a Girl

Boogie misterioso

Mary Lou Williams' Girl Stars

Zodiac Suite (excerpt)

Mary Lou Williams, piano

In the land of Oo-bla-dee

Mary Lou Williams Orchestra

Marian McPartland, piano

Bill Douglass, bass

Omar Clay, drums

A Fungus A Mungus

Nicole

Percy Heath, bass

Tim Kennedy, drums

Irving Berlin, arr. by ML Williams: Blue Skies (Trumpets no end)

Duke Ellington & His Orchestra

Donald Macleod charts Mary Lou Williams's emergence as an artist under her own name.

Mary Lou Williams's music stands out from the crowd because, as Duke Ellington recognised, `her writing and performing have always been just a little ahead throughout her career.` A prolific composer and arranger, she was also a gifted pianist. A master of blues, boogie woogie, stride, swing and be-bop, Williams was quick to absorb the prevailing musical currents in her own music, naturally able to exploit her ability to play anything she heard around her. It is this restless musical curiosity that defines her own compositions, and led her to become friends with and mentor many younger musicians, among them Thelonius Monk, Bud Powell, Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie.

Born around 1910 in Atlanta, Georgia, Williams grew up in Pittsburgh, where she had to overcome racial segregation, gender discrimination and the disadvantages of an impoverished family to realise her musical ambitions. Learning to play entirely by ear, she was performing locally by age six. Barely into her teens, she was touring professionally as a pianist, living proof that - contrary to the prevailing views - women really could play jazz as well as men. But her artistic success came at some personal cost, with instances of domestic abuse, two divorces, a gambling addiction, and the ongoing strain of trying to support her extended family, all taking its toll over the years. After taking a spiritual path, she spent some years trying to rehabilitate addicted musicians, and developed an interest in writing sacred jazz pieces, and after a long career of some 60 years she took on the mantle of educating future generations about the cultural roots of jazz.

Over the course of the week, Donald Macleod follows Mary Lou Williams as her life and musical pathways intertwine, from the early years playing Kansas City swing, to embracing be-bop, religion and modern jazz.

The 1950s were difficult years for Mary Lou Williams. Work was hard to come by in New York so she looked to Europe for bookings. During an extended sojourn in Paris, she experienced a major spiritual crisis, which was to have lasting consequences.

Tisherome

Mary Lou Williams Trio

Mary Lou Williams piano;

Billy Taylor, bass

Willie Guerra, bongos

New Musical Express

Mary Lou Williams Quartet

Don Byas, tenor saxophone

Mary Lou Williams, piano

Alvin Banks, bass

Gerard `Dave` Pochonet, Drums

ML Williams, AS Woods: Hymn to St. Martin de Porres

The Ray Charles Singers

Howard Roberts, conductor

Gloria (Mary Lou's Mass excerpt)

Buster Williams, bass

Mickey Roker, drums

ML Williams, Ada Moore: The Devil

O.W.

Chris White, bass

Sonny Henry, guitar

David Parker, drums

Abdul Rahman, congas

Roger Glenn, flute

James Bailey, Milton Grayson, Carl Hall, vocals

Mary Lou's Mass (excerpts)

ML Williams, Sonny Henry: Lazarus

Carline Ray, bass & vocals

Leon Atkinson, guitar

Credo

Carline Ray bass & vocal

Al Harewood drums

David Amram, French horn

Eileen Gilbert, Randy Peyton, Christine Spencer, vocals

Credo (Instrumental)

ML Williams piano

Sonny Henry guitar

David Parker drums & tambourine

Zodiac Suite (excerpt) - Virgo, Libra, Aries

Dizzy Gillespie and his band

Donald Macleod's survey of Mary Lou Williams finds her writing religiously inspired jazz.

Mary Lou Williams's music stands out from the crowd because, as Duke Ellington recognised, `her writing and performing have always been just a little ahead throughout her career.` A prolific composer and arranger, she was also a gifted pianist. A master of blues, boogie woogie, stride, swing and be-bop, Williams was quick to absorb the prevailing musical currents in her own music, naturally able to exploit her ability to play anything she heard around her. It is this restless musical curiosity that defines her own compositions, and led her to become friends with and mentor many younger musicians, among them Thelonius Monk, Bud Powell, Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie.

Born around 1910 in Atlanta, Georgia, Williams grew up in Pittsburgh, where she had to overcome racial segregation, gender discrimination and the disadvantages of an impoverished family to realise her musical ambitions. Learning to play entirely by ear, she was performing locally by age six. Barely into her teens, she was touring professionally as a pianist, living proof that - contrary to the prevailing views - women really could play jazz as well as men. But her artistic success came at some personal cost, with instances of domestic abuse, two divorces, a gambling addiction, and the ongoing strain of trying to support her extended family, all taking its toll over the years. After taking a spiritual path, she spent some years trying to rehabilitate addicted musicians, and developed an interest in writing sacred jazz pieces, and after a long career of some 60 years she took on the mantle of educating future generations about the cultural roots of jazz.

Over the course of the week, Donald Macleod follows Mary Lou Williams as her life and musical pathways intertwine, from the early years playing Kansas City swing, to embracing be-bop, religion and modern jazz.

After some 50 years of ups and downs and sheer hard graft, from 1966 Mary Lou Williams was managed by a Jesuit priest, Father O'Brien. A decade on she was finally financially secure, able to devote herself to her own varied projects, performing, writing and producing critically acclaimed recordings, and realising a long cherished ambition, a history of Jazz.

ML Williams, L. Gales: Syl-o-gism

Mary Lou Williams, piano

Zita Carno, piano

Bob Cranshaw, bass

Mickey Roker, drums

Why?

The Mary Lou Williams Quartet

Alvin Banks, bass

Gerard `Dave` Pochonet, Drums

Don Byas, tenor saxophone

Chunka Lunka

Percy Heath, bass

Tim Kennedy, drums

Ode to Saint Cecilie

Buster Williams, bass

Medi II

Blues for Timme

Ghost of Love

Praise the Lord

Milton Suggs bass violin

Tony Waters drums

What's your story Morning Glory

Roll'Em

Benny Goodman, Clarinet

Victor Paz, Warren Vache, Jack Shelton, trumpets

Wayne Andre, George Masso, John Messner, trombones

George Young, Mel Rodnon, alto saxophones

Buddy Tate, Frank Wess, tenor saxophones

Sol Schlinger, baritone sax

MLW piano and arranger

Cal Collins, Wayne Wright, guitar

Michael Moore, bass

Connnie Kay drums

Donald Macleod's survey of Mary Lou Williams sees her mature work breaking new boundaries.