The Monterey Jazz Festival has been a mainstay of jazz artistry and innovation for more than 60 years, known not just for its annual concert series, but also for its focus on emerging jazz talent. In 2019, they introduced the Next Generation Women in Jazz Combo, continuing festivals focus not only on young talent, but on working toward greater gender equity.
The 2020 iteration of the combo was recently announced, and the group made their debut performance at Berklee on January 18 under the direction of bassist Katie Thiroux B.M. 09. Before the performance, the six high school-aged women were on campus for rehearsals as well as workshops led by members of the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice.
One of those workshops began with Aja Burrell Wood, the institute's managing director, starting from, well the beginning. What normally happens to distinguish babies in hospitals? she asked the group, bringing their attention to the fact that babies more or less look the same, but are often placed in either pink or blue clothing, depending on their biological sex as assigned at birth. No one in the group needed to think about which color was assigned to which sex, with the societal norms of pink-equals-feminine and blue-equals-masculine firmly in place. But they're just colors, Wood continued. And yet, from this simple choice, gender assumptions are made, and societal roles can be predetermined.
You have a voice. You are the most powerful tool we have.
-Tanya Darby, chair, Brass Department
From this genesis point, the group moved into a particularly revealing exercise during which Wood drew two columns on a whiteboard, with the headings Masculine and Feminine, and asking the group to assign instruments to a particular gender.
At first blush, the idea seems ludicrous-they are inanimate objects, after all. But again, the group barely had to think about it, and soon the masculine column was filling at a rapid pace with instruments such as guitar, drums, saxophone, and trumpet, and many more, and the feminine column-a much shorter list-including clarinet and piano (but even piano was further broken down, with jazz piano being considered masculine, and classical piano considered more feminine). It didn't take long to see why the institute's signature exploration is encapsulated in the question: What would jazz sound like in a culture without patriarchy?
Learn more about the Berklee Institute for Jazz and Gender Justice
Wood admitted that no one, including the institute, has a clear answer to this question, nor is the vision of gender justice meant to exclude any gender identity. As the discussion continued, each of the women shared parts of their journeys not just to music, but to specifically being jazz instrumentalists and the challenges theyve faced. Kellin Hanas from Wheaton, Illinois, spoke up to say that at age 7, I told my parents I wanted to play trumpet, and they said, girls don't play trumpet.' But, I pushed my way into it anyway.
That story was echoed in part by the workshop's keynote speaker, Tanya Darby, chair of the Brass Department. Darby, a trumpeter with deep roots in big band jazz, came up in the Monterey area, with a lot of her early musical opportunities happening through the Monterey Jazz Festival. She admitted that her experience as a woman playing jazz was atypical, in that she always felt supported. But she also mentioned that her role as a trumpeter has often been described as an anomaly, or extraordinary. And while the sentiment behind the word is positive, she pointed out that the definition means outside the norm.'
At this point, there may not be an answer to the institute's question, but one of Darby's declarations to this group of teenage women, all about to embark on a year-long journey in the genre they hope to break into, seems like the kind of wisdom that could get us a bit closer: You have a voice, she said. You are the most powerful tool we have. You dig?
--
Related categories:
News
Related Reading
Dee Dee Bridgewater Urges Women to Lift Each Other Up The jazz icon joined several Berklee faculty members for a panel discussion on the challenges and triumphs of being a woman in the music industry.
Kris Davis and the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice Quartet to Perform at Dizzy's Club NYC The critically acclaimed pianist will lead an ensemble of top players from the institute in a performance on Monday, November 11.
Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice Celebrates One Year, Momentous Gift The institute recently received a $3 million donation to create the Terri Lyne Carrington Endowed Artistic Directorship.
More from Berklee Now
Most Popular
Berklee Alumni and Faculty Nominated for Grammy Awards 28 Berklee alumni and two faculty members were nominated for Grammys across 17 categories.
Latest
The Women of Jazz's Next Generation Are More than Extraordinary' The newly announced Next Generation Women in Jazz Combo, sponsored by the Monterey Jazz Festival, performed at Berklee and took part in workshops led by the Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice.
Yoron Israel Named Chair of the Percussion Department The drummer, composer, bandleader, vibraphonist, percussionist, and author previously served as the department's interim chair.
Precious Perez Draws Musical and Academic Inspiration from Agua de Valencia' The singer-songwriter has released an EP inspired by her time studying abroad at Berklee Valencia.
Read All
Subscribe The latest sounds, stories, and ideas, sent to your inbox weekly.
Berklee Blogs
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
Instagram
Snapchat
Soundcloud
Spotify
Most recent headlines
04/08/2024
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, is excited to announce Santiago Solanas as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO)....
03/06/2024
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, a...
28/04/2024
Mediahaus delivers the first SRT live-streaming sports production over 5G with U...
26/04/2024
Sundance Film Festival CDMX 2024 kicks-off today with screenings in 5 theaters in Mexico City and the opening-night film, FRIDA, directed by Carla Guti rrez...
26/04/2024
[Editor's Note: This interview is part of a larger feature about the women d...
26/04/2024
Once again this year, SGL Carbon opened its doors to interested children and young people. On the occasion of the German Girls and Boys Day, which took place on...
26/04/2024
Orders1 of $5.5 billion; book-to-bill of 1.06x
Revenue of $5.2 billion, up 17%,...
26/04/2024
Five Considerations For Communications Modernization In The 21st Century
In the digital-enabled battlespace, the Joint Force needs to shoot, move and communica...
26/04/2024
CBS Sports has launched Champions League as a new, 24-hour streaming channel that will serve as the year-round destination for nonstop highlights of the UEFA ...
26/04/2024
Despite tough competition in the streaming space, Roku reported solid results in Q1 2024, beating revenue expectations, with total net revenue up 19% YoY to $88...
26/04/2024
LONDON AND TORONTO Pinewood Toronto Studios has appointed Sarah Farrell as general manager of the Studios in downtown Toronto....
26/04/2024
Quantum to Offer Advanced Filesharing Technology and Performance in StorNext and...
26/04/2024
FilmLight Colour Awards welcomes 2024 entries and introduces new Emerging Talen...
26/04/2024
Picture Shop Announces Chris Evans as Head of Unscripted
Brie Clayton April 26, 2024
0 Comments
Picture Shop announced Chris Evans will lead Unscripte...
26/04/2024
Participate in a Survey - The Impact of AI on Media and the Creative Industry
Pascal Wagner April 26, 2024
0 Comments
By participating in this survey,...
26/04/2024
Toy maker Mattel said it is working with Samsung to launch its first free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channels later this year....
26/04/2024
Trusted Media Brands (TMB) said it named Marty Moe as president....
26/04/2024
Ron Howard is the director on Jim Henson Idea Man, a documentary that premieres on Disney Plus May 31. Henson of course created Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Big...
26/04/2024
The ice continues to melt under the regional sports network business as the Seattle Kraken of the National Hockey League have made a long-term deal to broadcast...
26/04/2024
Heading into the upfronts, Warner Bros. Discovery said it launched Olli, a first-party data platform advertiser can use for converged, targeted advertising camp...
26/04/2024
CBS has renewed the drama The Equalizer, which will see season five on in 2024-2025. Queen Latifah stars....
26/04/2024
The CW has entered into an exclusive multiyear broadcast partnership for the Miss USA Pageant and the Miss Teen USA Pageant. The 73rd Miss USA Pageant will air ...
26/04/2024
Fuse Media isn't mincing words in a campaign urging its young viewers to register and participate in the 2024 elections....
26/04/2024
Dead Boy Detectives, a series from Neil Gaiman about a detective agency staffed by ghosts, debuts on Netflix April 25. George Rexstrew and Jayden Revri are in t...
26/04/2024
The Story Collective has gradually repurposed the former Mortlake Brewery to include production offices, workshops and sound stages
By Matthew Corrigan
Publi...
26/04/2024
Perkett joins the company following a 25 year career in product management, product marketing, engineering and user experience (UX) across multiple industries
...
26/04/2024
Teradek, the industry leader in wireless video transmitters and receivers, announced today the launch of new Bolt 6 LT 750 and Bolt 6 Monitor Module 750 RX with...
26/04/2024
NEW YORK Amagi has appointed Richard Perkett chief product officer (CPO)....
26/04/2024
WASHINGTON, D.C. The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) has announced the results of the 2024 NAB Radio and Television Board of Directors elections. The...
26/04/2024
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. & NEW YORK Mattel has announced a deal to launch its first three 24/7 free ad supported streaming (FAST) channels on Samsung TV Plus, Samsung...
26/04/2024
PORTLAND, Maine Viewers here can now receive the NextGen TV signals of five local stations with the launch of ATSC 3.0 service from host station WPFO, which is ...
26/04/2024
TORONTO Rogers Communications has signed a 10-year agreement with Comcast to bring the latest Xfinity products and technology to Canadians....
26/04/2024
Calrec is very pleased to announce the benefits of its highly flexible approach to customer service has been recognized with a third award for the Argo range. T...
26/04/2024
New Adobe Photoshop with Advanced Generative Fill and Generate Image Brings New ...
26/04/2024
Trends And Takeaways From NAB Show 2024
Melanie Ciotti April 25, 2024
0 Comments
NAB's Eric Trabb (right) awards SNS with two NAB Show Product of ...
26/04/2024
Sony's Ci Media Cloud Keeps NHRA Moving
Brie Clayton April 25, 2024
0 Comments
Cloud-Based Media Asset Management and Collaboration Platform Accel...
26/04/2024
Capitol Broadcasting & Leadership Triangle Collaborate for Third Year
Capitol B...
26/04/2024
The staff at CBC Radio have been hard at work creating several new features for listeners and viewers. Several debuts are taking place this spring.
I have nev...
26/04/2024
26 Apr 2024
Cricket Finds Its Digital Home in Bangladesh: VEON's Banglalink...
26/04/2024
NBA Playoffs 2024: ESPN Rolls Out Huge Production Operation for Busy First Round Tech deployments include miked on-field personnel, shot-distance tracking, AR g...
26/04/2024
NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs: ESPN Ops Team Navigates Both Sides of the Border With ...
26/04/2024
Behind the Scenes at the 2024 NFL Draft in Detroit (Photo Gallery) After just the first round, the 2024 NFL Draft has already made quite an impression in Detroi...
26/04/2024
NFL Draft 2024: Van Wagner Powers Onsite Entertainment Experience for Record Cro...
26/04/2024
Rohde & Schwarz presents spectrum dominance in all domains at AOC Europe Rohde & Schwarz demonstrates the next generation of SIGINT/EW systems and sensor fusi...
26/04/2024
MCine Mauritius is to use Qube Wire for all future DCP deliveries across their e...
26/04/2024
Skeem Saam' May Spoiler: Has Lehasa killed Khwezi?The Skeem Saam' May teasers mention Lehasa being apologetic about killing someone. Is it his baby mam...
26/04/2024
Skeem Saam: Thursday's episode, 25 April 2024 [video]Missed an episode of Skeem Saam? No problem! Watch the latest episode of your favourite South African s...
26/04/2024
Prison Journalism: Some issues to considerWesley Leong was incarcerated at the age of 15 in 1996 at Pollsmoor Prison. He is currently part of Restore's rese...
26/04/2024
Tonight on Scandal: A line is crossed and a mother starts to lose focusDon't miss Friday, 26 April's riveting episode of South African soapie Scandal! o...
The Monterey Jazz Festival has been a mainstay of jazz artistry and innovation for more than 60 years, known not just for its annual concert series, but also for its focus on emerging jazz talent. In 2019, they introduced the Next Generation Women in Jazz Combo, continuing festivals focus not only on young talent, but on working toward greater gender equity.
