Morning glory: a biography of Mary Lou Williams
Author:
Publisher:
Pantheon Books
Pub. Date:
[1999]
Edition:
1st ed
Language:
English
Description
Mary Lou Williams — pianist, arranger, composer, and probably the most influential woman in the history of jazz — receives the attention she has long deserved in the definitive biography by a leading scholar of women in jazz. The illegitimate child of an impoverished and indifferent mother, Williams began performing publicly at the age of seven when she became known admiringly in her native Pittsburgh as "the little piano girl of East Liberty," playing one day for the Mellons at bridge teas and the next in gambling dens where the hat was passed for change. She grew up with the jazz of the early part of the century, championed by the likes of Earl Hines and Fats Waller, yet unlike so many other musicians of her time, she was open to new forms in jazz — she was an early champion of bop, and a mentor and colleague to its central figures, such as Thelonius Monk and Bud Powell — and in broader musical styles as well (after her conversion to Catholicism, she wrote masses and other sacred music). Most of the other famous women in jazz — Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald —  have been singers. Williams was instead a phenomenal pianist who performed solo, with small groups and big bands, in vaudeville and clubs, and on numerous records. But she is equally well known today as a composer and arranger of remarkable versatility and power, having worked with, among others, Duke Ellington and Benny Goodman. Her compositions have been recorded by artisits as varied as Marian McPartland, Dizzy Gillespie, Nat "King" Cole, Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, and herself — and, more recently, by cutting-edge players Geri Allen and Dave Douglas. But Williams was more than "just a musician"; her interests were catholic in both senses, and she struggled to combine her love of music with her love of God. She was a tireless humanitarian, and made ongoing attempts to help dozens of down-and-out musicians; in the 1950s, her apartment was, at times, virtually a rehab. Though she was often in emotional despair, she found comfort for her many disappointments and hurts not only in her music but in her spirituality. Linda Dahl, granted unprecedented access to the large Williams archive, has given us the whole of Williams's very full life, from her often harrowing days on the road to her tumultuous marriages and love affairs, from the ups and downs of her unique fifty-year career to the remarkable spirituality that came to inform both her daily life and her music. This is a striking protrait of one of our least understood and most important musicians.
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ISBN:
9780375408991
9780307824523
9780307824523
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Grouping Information
Grouped Work ID | 4b918d75-ae2c-9ad1-e658-0710da3a22c5 |
---|---|
Grouping Title | morning glory a biography of mary lou williams |
Grouping Author | linda dahl |
Grouping Category | book |
Grouping Language | English (eng) |
Last Grouping Update | 2024-04-23 21:01:38PM |
Last Indexed | 2024-05-04 23:28:57PM |
Solr Fields
accelerated_reader_point_value
0
accelerated_reader_reading_level
0
author
Dahl, Linda, 1949-
author_display
Dahl, Linda
available_at_pitkin
Pitkin Library
detailed_location_pitkin
Pitkin County Library
display_description
Mary Lou Williams — pianist, arranger, composer, and probably the most influential woman in the history of jazz — receives the attention she has long deserved in the definitive biography by a leading scholar of women in jazz. The illegitimate child of an impoverished and indifferent mother, Williams began performing publicly at the age of seven when she became known admiringly in her native Pittsburgh as "the little piano girl of East Liberty," playing one day for the Mellons at bridge teas and the next in gambling dens where the hat was passed for change. She grew up with the jazz of the early part of the century, championed by the likes of Earl Hines and Fats Waller, yet unlike so many other musicians of her time, she was open to new forms in jazz — she was an early champion of bop, and a mentor and colleague to its central figures, such as Thelonius Monk and Bud Powell — and in broader musical styles as well (after her conversion to Catholicism, she wrote masses and other sacred music). Most of the other famous women in jazz — Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald —  have been singers. Williams was instead a phenomenal pianist who performed solo, with small groups and big bands, in vaudeville and clubs, and on numerous records. But she is equally well known today as a composer and arranger of remarkable versatility and power, having worked with, among others, Duke Ellington and Benny Goodman. Her compositions have been recorded by artisits as varied as Marian McPartland, Dizzy Gillespie, Nat "King" Cole, Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, and herself — and, more recently, by cutting-edge players Geri Allen and Dave Douglas. But Williams was more than "just a musician"; her interests were catholic in both senses, and she struggled to combine her love of music with her love of God. She was a tireless humanitarian, and made ongoing attempts to help dozens of down-and-out musicians; in the 1950s, her apartment was, at times, virtually a rehab. Though she was often in emotional despair, she found comfort for her many disappointments and hurts not only in her music but in her spirituality. Linda Dahl, granted unprecedented access to the large Williams archive, has given us the whole of Williams's very full life, from her often harrowing days on the road to her tumultuous marriages and love affairs, from the ups and downs of her unique fifty-year career to the remarkable spirituality that came to inform both her daily life and her music. This is a striking protrait of one of our least understood and most important musicians.
format_category_pitkin
Books
format_pitkin
Book
id
4b918d75-ae2c-9ad1-e658-0710da3a22c5
isbn
9780307824523
9780375408991
9780375408991
itype_pitkin
Adult book
last_indexed
2024-05-05T05:28:57.998Z
lexile_score
-1
literary_form
Non Fiction
literary_form_full
Non Fiction
local_callnumber_pitkin
780.92 WILLIAMS, M. D131
owning_library_pitkin
Pitkin County Library
owning_location_pitkin
Pitkin Library
primary_isbn
9780375408991
publishDate
1999
2012
2012
publisher
Pantheon Books
recordtype
grouped_work
subject_facet
Biographies
Biography & Autobiography
Electronic books
History
Music
Nonfiction
Pianists -- United States -- Biography
Williams, Mary Lou, -- 1910-1981
Biography & Autobiography
Electronic books
History
Music
Nonfiction
Pianists -- United States -- Biography
Williams, Mary Lou, -- 1910-1981
title_display
Morning glory : a biography of Mary Lou Williams
title_full
Morning glory : a biography of Mary Lou Williams / Linda Dahl
Morning glory [electronic resource] : A biography of mary lou williams. Linda Dahl
Morning glory [electronic resource] : A biography of mary lou williams. Linda Dahl
title_short
Morning glory
title_sub
a biography of Mary Lou Williams
topic_facet
Biography & Autobiography
History
Music
Nonfiction
Pianists
Williams, Mary Lou
History
Music
Nonfiction
Pianists
Williams, Mary Lou
Solr Details Tables
item_details
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---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ils:.b15557431 | .i19113092 | Pitkin County Library | 780.92 WILLIAMS, M. D131 | 1 | false | false | On Shelf | Jan 27, 2004 | pc | ||||
overdrivecmc:ODN0001046863 | ODN0001046863 | Overdrive (CMC) | Online Overdrive (CMC) | eBook | eBook | 1 | false | true | Overdrive (CMC) | http://link.overdrive.com/?websiteID=162&titleID=1046863 | Available Online | Overdrive (CMC) |
record_details
Bib Id | Format | Format Category | Edition | Language | Publisher | Publication Date | Physical Description | Abridged |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ils:.b15557431 | Book | Books | 1st ed | English | Pantheon Books | [1999] | viii, 463 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm | |
overdrivecmc:ODN0001046863 | eBook | eBook | English | 2012 | 1 online resource |
scoping_details_pitkin
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ils:.b15557431 | .i19113092 | On Shelf | On Shelf | false | true | true | false | false | true | 96, 97, 98, 99 |