MARY LOU WILLIAMS
THE MOTHER OF US ALL
Four decades since her death, the pianist and composer is just beginning to be recognized as a crucial contributor to the history of Jazz. We invite you to learn more about Mary Lou’s life, music and amazing legacy.
“They would go to her house, Dizzy, Bird [Charlie Parker], all the heavyweights talked to Mary Lou. Monk, they loved her. She taught them about arranging, she had concepts, she was very philosophical. She’s unsung as a person who really influenced them and when you talk to them — I talked to Dizzy, any musicians from that time — they always say, ‘Man, Mary Lou, she taught us a lot.’”
– Wynton Marsalis
The Mary Lou Williams Edition is meant to facilitate the study, encourage the performance and expand the knowledge of Mary Lou Williams’ music. It is also meant to bring insight to her work to a wide audience – musicians, researchers, students and music lovers.
This edition is intended to include every composition for which enough sources are available to establish a consistent text, from solo piano pieces to big band arrangements, symphonic arrangements to choral works, lead sheets to masses.
Mary Lou Williams’ Zodiac Suite Nominated for Grammy Award in the Category of Best Classical Compendium
New York-based pianist Aaron Diehl and orchestral collective the Knights recreated Mary’s most celebrated work, Zodiac Suite, a portrait of the 12 astrological signs and a landmark in jazz-classical fusion. The album has received a Grammy nomination in the category of Best Classical Compendium: Zodiac Suite, Aaron Diehl Trio & The Knights; Eric Jacobsen, conductor; Aaron Diehl & Eric Jacobsen, producers.
Recent Articles:
The New York Times
Jazz and Classical Met in the 1940s, and We’re Still Catching Up
The Wall Street Journal
Reviving Mary Lou Williams’s Little-Known Masterpiece
MARY LOU WILLIAMS THE LADY WHO SWINGS THE BAND
The resurgence of international interest in Mary’s life and career in music continues. From a Showtime documentary to featured articles and essays and new recordings, Mary’s place in the music history is celebrated.
Mary Lou’s Playlist
“Anything you are, shows up in your music – jazz is whatever you are, playing yourself, being yourself, letting your thoughts come through.”
– Mary Lou Williams
Sheet Music
Mary Lou’s Influence
