Being A Unicorn

I must confess, I didn't really think about the role gender plays in music when I was younger because I didn't think it was that big of a deal. I'm primarily a classical pianist, so when I was growing up the important part was my playing, not that I was a girl. The first time I was ever concerned about the role of gender in music was after I started playing the drums. 

I picked them up because I was filling in for a band that was missing a drummer, just like I've done with many other instruments. Suddenly, though, the thing that most people felt inclined to talk about was that I was a girl. It really annoyed me, because I didn't think that was very important. On one particular occasion, I had a man say, "You're a female drummer?! I've never met one in real life before," something that sounds alarmingly like someone would say after seeing a unicorn. And though it might be nice to be a unicorn, I can imagine they, like most female drummers, are tired of being gawked at for existing. 

One drummer particularly inspiring to me was Karen Carpenter. Even though she is primarily known for her voice, she was an amazing drummer and would even sing lead vocals while she played, a difficult skill she was a master of. 

This is the first clip I ever saw of her playing the drums. Her playing starts at around the 1:12 time stamp. I highly recommend skipping the horribly awkward and drawn out intro. Karen's playing is much more enjoyable. 

Here's another video of her making what she did look easy. 

Staying in the same instrument family of percussion, I noticed when I got older that there was a similar type of trend in jazz piano. When talking about amazing jazz pianists, most of those renowned artists are men: Art Tatum, Oscar Peterson, Duke Ellington, Bill Evans, the list goes on. Trying to list famous women in jazz piano is much more difficult. 

Nina Simone, much like Karen Carpenter, is known for her vocals. However, she was also an amazing musician and is often overlooked as a jazz pianist. This is one of my favorite videos of Nina Simone showing off her skills while accompanying herself. 

Here's another song she played that I particularly love. 

Another giant in jazz piano was Marian McPartland, who had her own show that she invited some of the biggest names in jazz to play with. It seemed she knew every tune to know from memory, and would play it in whatever key they called out beforehand. 

All these women were so amazing at what they did and had to break through societal norms to play the music that they loved. Today still, there are more women in music that continue to this, like Cindy Blackman, Taylor Gordon, Diana Krall, and Nora Jones. I think there's still more to be done and talked about, particularly so that young girls will feel less like an anomaly and inspired to follow in the footsteps of these amazing women. 

Ok, I have to mention one more amazing female jazz pianists. It would be criminal not to. Mary Lou Williams was also a phenomenal musician that paved the way for future women in jazz. This comes from the Zodiac Suite, which is a great album. 

Alright, now I promise I'm done.