12 Nov 2011

Ladies sing the blues at London Jazz Festival

Female musicians are more prominent than ever at this year’s London Jazz Festival – surprising, perhaps, in a musical genre often accused of being unwelcoming to women.

Ayanna Witter-Johnson (pictured above) recently became the first non-American to win the legendary amateur night at the Apollo in New York.

But this weekend she is back in Britain to perform at the London Jazz Festival. And although she works with different types of music, she describes herself as naturally attracted to jazz.

“It taps into the heart of my interest in the struggle that black people had endured post-slavery,” she says. “And that journey in America is best exemplified, in many ways.

“And jazz, originating there, mixes that classical, gospel, blues, west African rhythms – all those things together.”

Female impact

Here in Britain, jazz is currently going through a resurgence – prompting many commentators to observe that it often flourishes during challenging economic periods. But what is different about the current resurgence is that female musicians like Ayanna are making more impact than ever before.

Although there have always been women in jazz, it has been a predominantly male art form. And when women have broken through, they have tended to be vocalists.

You have to just go forward and believe in yourself and do it. Lucinda Belle, harpist and singer

But what is interesting about the wave of female musicians performing in this year’s London Jazz Festival is that they are not just vocalists but also instrumentalists and composers.

Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday are two of the most famous singers in the history of jazz. But it is Nina Simone, who also played the piano and wrote much of her own material, who’s been the biggest influence on this new wave of female musicians.

John Cummings, director of the London Jazz Festival, believes one or two musicians can inspire a generation around them.

“It is true that the arts could have been seen in the past to have been dominated by male artists and administrators,” he says. “I think it’s time that we respected the fact that that shouldn’t be the case.”

Profound changes

Lucinda Belle is a vocalist, harpist and songwriter. But she found breaking through into the jazz world challenging.

She told Channel 4 News: “I had a hard time being accepted as a harpist who could sing, who could write songs, who could compose. I had a hard time trying to break that prejudice, in a way.”

There seems to be a new openness to music from all corners, all races and all parts of society. John Walters, jazz critic

“You have to just go forward and believe in yourself and do it.”

But many industry insiders believe that the jazz world is going through profound changes. And not just when it comes to gender. Jazz critic John Walters believes the idea that jazz was one kind of fixed thing has gone.

“A lot of the old, great musicians have died or are no longer active, and there seems to be a new openness to music from all corners, all races and all parts of society getting involved in jazz,” he says

Crucially, the resurgence in this newly accessible jazz world is not just happening in London but also in Manchester, Birmingham and Scotland.

But for this weekend at least, the focus will be London – and the driving force will be quite firmly female.