Gender Discrimination in Jazz and Jazz Historiography: Women Instrumentalists Post WWII

Abstract: The view of women as outsiders to jazz culture has been perpetuated for nearly a century. Attempts to resolve such an issue are usually approached by emphasizing the past and current lack of prominent female jazz musicians accompanied by an uncertainty of how to move forward. Although jazz has always been a male-dominated art form, the absence of women from jazz narratives is historically inaccurate and must be addressed. Without knowledge of the many distinguished women in jazz history, the current and future generations of jazz will fall prey to the cyclical notion that women require the help of their male predecessors to earn their place in jazz. An equitable future of jazz must include the histories of the non-male jazz pioneers. This essay will explore the stories of a few prominent women jazz instrumentalists from the postwar era, focusing on their accolades, struggles, musical strengths, and overall resilience. If the marginalization and erasure of women in jazz is to eventually cease, musicians, audiences, and critics must begin with the acceptance of and admiration for women of the past.