Mary Lou Williams - Mary-Lou Williams et ses formations

Quite a radical change of tone with today’s entry: a beautiful copy of this 70 years old 10-inch French compilation showcasing the music of a hero of mine, American jazz pianist Mary Lou Williams.

I have to confess, like Howard Moon, I used to meddle with jazz… And for quite a long-time. Jazz was my first hardcore musical obsession. I was playing jazz, listening to jazz, copying famous saxophonist’s choruses, etc. Not something to be particularly proud of… Nor ashamed of, as a matter of fact.

Anyway, one thing I remember from that time is that no one ever mentioned Mary Lou Williams - and I mean I knew them all, all the great jazz players of the 1950’s. But no, for a few obvious reasons (one of them being that she was a woman), I never encountered her name in halls of fame and greatest jazz albums lists. I found out about her years later, at a time when I wasn’t listening to jazz at all,  when I discovered her 1964 Black Christ of the Andes album and her 1974 modal jazz LP Zoning. And so, her music gave me the opportunity to listen to jazz again. And not just modal jazz, but also swing and bop, via her 1940’s Zodiac and Piano Solos LP's.

All of a sudden, her music had alleviated the dusty and annoying ethos surrounding classic jazz. And it was with fresh ears that I listened to and happily enjoyed releases like this one. There's no twist here, it's just perfectly clear and bright, piano-led formations. Paradoxically, she's been erased from jazz history for decades while her music represents to me one of the purest form of jazz piano improvisations in all of the genres she played. And this one record is a strong example of her gracious style. (VG+/VG+ - Complete with leaflet)

Tracklist

1. Swingin’ For The Guys
2. Club Français Blues
3. Freight Train Blues
4. Leg’n Lou
5. Avalon
6. Gravel
7. Rock Me
8. I Made You Love Paris
9. Nancy Is In Love With The Colonel