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Written by Katy Myers Duke Ellington was among the most prolific composers of the twentieth century and is arguably one of the most famous and influential jazz musicians of all time. His musical innovations are so ever-present and timeless that if you’ve played or listened to any jazz in the last 50 years, it most likely contained influences from Duke Ellington. He took big band music, which was primarily for dancing, and turned it into an art form in and of itself - still danceable, but created for the sake of art, spirituality, and social change. Born as Edward Kennedy Ellington on April 29 ..read more

Written by Rebecca Elder Valaida Snow: Trumpeter, Singer, Jazz Meteor of the 20s and 30s Valaida Snow (1905 - 1956) lived most of her life on stage and on the road. She was born to a traveling show business family, the eldest of four children, in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Her mother taught Valaida and her siblings to perform and Valaida showed great promise early on. By the age of 15, she was an accomplished multi-instrumentalist, singer, and dancer, and began to appear professionally in many touring shows. Although little known today, Snow was a superstar on three continents in the 1930s. She p ..read more

Written By Mike Blome Lester Young (1909-1959) was one of the most influential tenor sax players in the history of jazz. He came to prominence with the Count Basie band in Kansas City in the 1930s, and was rapidly recognized as an original talent who was playing in a new style all his own. At the time, the dominant tenor player was Coleman Hawkins. Whereas Hawkins made extensive use of arpeggios and lines that explored the nuances of the underlying harmony, Young typically played more "horizontal" lines, creating melodies that "told a story." His phrasing, tone, and sense of swing conveyed a ..read more

Written by Katy Myers Mary Lou Williams was one of the best jazz pianists around, and a friend and mentor to many, including jazz icons Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, and Dizzy Gillespie. She was also an outstanding arranger and composer, something few women got credit for. Arranging a self-reported six to twelve songs per week for the likes of Louis Armstrong, Earl Hines, Gus Arnheim, Glen Gray, Tommy Dorsey and many more, Williams literally shaped the sound of the big band era. (1)  At a young age, Mary Lou learned that playing the piano could win people over. As a blac ..read more

Written by Katy Myers Billie Holiday was a superstar jazz singer who impacted and influenced millions of people with her voice. She was also a survivor - of racism, sexism, harassment, abuse, and assault.  Holiday, born as Eleanora Fagan on April 7th, 1915, spent her early childhood in Baltimore then moved to New York City with her mother hoping for better job prospects. When she found work cleaning the floors at Alice Dean’s brothel, young Billie also found access to the music of Louis “Pops” Armstrong and blues singer Bessie Smith. It’s no wonder then that Holiday’s melodic choices lat ..read more

Written by Katy Myers Even if you don’t realize it, you probably already know what solfege is. You might have seen someone do the solfege hand signs while singing. If you’ve seen The Sound of Music, you definitely know the solfege syllables. Do Re Mi Fa Sol La Ti Do - the sounds of a major solfege scale. If you’re like most, you know of these sounds, but not necessarily just how immensely valuable they could be for your ear training, improvisation, transcription, and general musicianship. Our brains are wired to make connections and group stimuli together. This is because our brains are lazy ..read more