The pianist, composer, and arranger Mary Lou Williams (1910 - 1981) was one of the most significant and influential artists in the history of jazz. A versatile musical genius who experimented with and mastered most of the emerging styles in jazz's evolution, Williams wrote and arranged for such greats as Duke Ellington and Benny Goodman, and was a friend, mentor and teacher to the likes of Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, and Dizzy Gillespie. Yet throughout her prolific career of nearly six decades, she had to fight to achieve recognition, equality, and acceptance as an African American woman in the male-dominated world of jazz.

Now Williams' artistic brilliance and lasting legacy are affirmed in this definitive volume, which masterfully interweaves biographical details with incisive commentary on her music, performances, and recordings. Setting Williams's intriguing story against the racial, cultural, and musical currents of her times, Tammy L. Kernodle draws on extensive interviews and meticulous research to chronicle the tragedies and triumphs of Williams' stormy private and professional life.

Born to an impoverished, unmarried mother in Georgia, and raised in Pittsburgh, the self-taught Williams started performing publicly at age six. Kernodle follows Williams' harsh life on the road, her rise to fame in the 1930s, her role as matriarch of the bebop movement, and her blossoming spirituality. In her later years, Williams wrote sacred jazz pieces that brought emotional healing to listeners, and she worked tirelessly to help and rehabilitate addicted, down-and-out musicians. She was also strongly committed to advancing jazz composition and to educating others about the cultural roots of jazz.

This striking portrait celebrates Williams' persistent yet loving spirit, extraordinary talent, and enduring body of work.

CONTENTS:
1. I Dream A World
2. Take Me to Froggy Bottom: The Early Musical Years
3. From East Liberty (Pittsburgh) to Beale Street (Memphis) to Eighteenth and Vine (Kansas City)
4. Until the Real Thing Comes Along: the Andy Kirk Years (1931-42)
5. How Do You Keep the Music Playing?
6. Love on a Two-Way Street: Barney Josephgson and Moe Asch
7. Under the Signs of the Zodiac
8. The Calm Before the Storm
9. The Crossroads
10. The Long Journey Back Home
11. What A Difference A Day Makes
12. A Season of Change
13. The Fruits of One's Labour

TAMMY L. KERNODLE is Associate Professor of Music at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.

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