Jazz is a genre of music rich with cultural and historical significance, especially in Louisiana. Yet, both the local and national jazz scene do not accurately reflect women’s contributions to the community.
On Friday, LSU hosted its first-ever LSU Women In Jazz Rising All-Star Combo, consisting of six carefully-selected female high school jazz musicians. Following a performance by the All-Star Combo, the concert featured another all-female combo of professional jazz musicians called the Redtet.
The entire program, including the Redtet, was led by Dr. Molly Redfield, the assistant professor of jazz studies at LSU. Redfield emphasized that the goal behind the concert series was to provide an encouraging showcase of female talent that inspires women to play or continue playing jazz.
A female-dominated space like this is rare in the jazz world. Redfield and other members of the Redtet recall being some of the only female musicians in their jazz ensembles growing up.
“It affects you as a musician especially when you are young,” Redifeld said. “If you don’t see yourself on stage or hear yourself in the music, odds are you won’t continue.”
The concert series and professional musicians were sponsored by the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge and the New Orleans Jazz Museum who provided a grant for the project. The grant was then matched by LSU’s College of Music and Dramatic Arts, helping Redfield carry out the other parts of the project.
As part of the program the Redtet toured three different Louisiana public middle schools during the day on March 1 and answered student’s questions about what they do. On March 2, the Redtet held a forum open to the public but geared toward music educators. Finally, at 2 p.m. on March 2, the Redtet performed an encore performance at the New Orleans Jazz Museum.
In order to join the All-Stars Combo, high schoolers submitted video auditions, and a board of listeners selected the top musicians. The combo consisted of a vocalist, trumpeter, pianist, drummer and two bass guitarists. The members spanned from sophomores to senior in high school and came from places in Louisiana like Metairie, Baton Rouge and Mandeville.
The Rising All-Stars Combo had only one rehearsal together. In their few hours of practice, they learned various tunes and created a set. After performing at LSU, the combo will do another show at St. James Place and then record their set at a studio. Despite this being a first-time event, Redfield already has big plans for future all-female high school combos.
“This was actually made so we can apply for an Atlas grant, which would be the next level,” Redfield said. “Our goal is to make sure we have one of these in every single side of the state, so everyone gets a chance to participate.”
Redfield said she hopes to expand the program by teaming up with other Louisiana colleges and having each school sponsor its own female faculty and guest artists. Each college would then rotate as a host for the event.
Much like the high-school combo, the Redtet had only one practice before the show. Their practice, however, was mere hours before the performance. United by their love for jazz, the group members were selected by Dr. Redfield and came from places all over the globe. Kellin Hanas, the trumpet player for the Redtet, said that despite the lack of practise, playing together felt natural.
“We were all a little sleep-deprived, but we were sight reading each other’s charts,” Hanas said. “It was all super organic which I thought was really really beautiful. By the third time playing the charts, we were really starting to gel together.”
The concert’s setlist featured compositions created by members of the Redtet as well as compositions by lesser-known female composers. Bailey Ehrgott, the guitarist for the Redtet, spoke about the impact of a unique all-female show.
“It is a great way, not just for us to get together to play together, but for more young women who are aspiring and interested in music to see women that are professionals doing the things they aspire to do,” Erghott said. “It’s really important that you see people that look like you doing what you want to do. There aren’t enough of us out there I think.”
In addition to performing the pieces for free, the Redtet will record the setlist with a coordinating video for each song. Their project represents a step toward greater recognition for women in jazz worldwide.
“Our big goal with this is to encourage young women to stick with it,” Redfield says. “They have a place and they are wanted.”
