John Coltrane, Charlie Parker and Duke Ellington are some of the most well-known and influential names in jazz. Yet, names like Alice Coltrane, Mary Lou Williams and Esperanza Spalding are often forgotten and their impacts on the genre overlooked. While female jazz vocalists have grown more popular in recent years, there are still far fewer female instrumentalists than their male counterparts.
The greater D.C. area is known for its vibrant jazz scene, with popular supper clubs like Blues Alley hosting nationally recognized musicians like Ben Williams and Wynton Marsalis. There is also a high level of jazz education in the area, with Winston Churchill High School in Potomac, MD, placing second in the 2023 Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival and high participation in youth orchestra opportunities like Paul Carr’s Jazz Academy.
Cleo Kraske, a senior at Maret School in Washington D.C., is in her school’s jazz band and participates in Paul Carr’s Jazz Academy Orchestra. She noticed that most jazz spaces are majority male and said this can be detrimental to her performance.
“It definitely makes me scrutinize my playing a lot more, being in a male-dominated environment like that, and I have way less confidence,” Kraske said. “I don’t play as loud. I worry more about the notes that I play on my solos.”
Outside of jazz, there is a similar confidence gap between men and women. Men have been historically advantaged in many aspects of society, leaving women feeling less accomplished. From a young age, societal norms pressure women to be polite and humble and discourage boasting. However, jazz is an inherently boastful performance art, as musicians are constantly trying to stand out through solos or vying for the first chair in a band.
Whitman Music teacher Brendan Kelly has been teaching jazz for nearly a decade and said he has noticed many differences between his male and female students’ attitudes.
“In my teaching experience, I’ve definitely noticed that female students aren’t as gung-ho or eager to improvise on their own volition,” Kelly said. “They might feel pressure from the people around them.”
Misogyny in the jazz community can make it difficult for women to feel secure in joining jazz bands. Sophomore Ariel Greenberg participates in two bands outside of school. In her four years playing jazz, she has noticed this gender divide.
“When I’m in a mostly male environment, it often feels like they’re all able to be friends,” Greenberg said, “Girls are kind of on the outside of that, not even on purpose.”
Kelly tries to create an environment where everyone, regardless of gender, can feel comfortable soloing or playing a feature piece.
“Everybody has solos all the time,” he said. “She’s a girl, he’s a boy, it doesn’t matter; it’s just that this is the person who’s best suited for the opportunity, and they’re gonna help us all be better.”
Greenberg added that instructors can uplift female musicians by encouraging them to solo and providing examples of other female jazz musicians. Being around fellow female artists and playing with them can be another beneficial experience for upcoming artists.
“This is different in a mostly female environment because we always are trying to bring each other up, not tear each other down,” Greenberg said.
While some women have the opportunity to play in an all-girl band, it is still a very uncommon occurrence in jazz circles.
Vocalist Petra Martin has been singing jazz since 1995 but has yet to work with an all-female band. She said it would be empowering for her to do so one day.
“I haven’t done it yet, but that is my plan,” Martin said. “That’s my dream, to do an all-woman show.”
