I am not sure if I have the right to state- female jazz musicians are more prevalent than ever-after all I am male and I am not a musician!
However, in the current climate (from a UK perspective) I think tentatively things have changed.
Personally, I can reel off a whole host of brilliant female musicians; Emma-Jean Thackaray, Camilla George, Jaz Kyser and many more.
“There have always been wonderful female jazz musicians” acknowledges the talented trumpeter Yazz Ahmed, “however when I was growing up, I did not see any professional female jazz musicians out there. I would do loads of gigs and never see any women on the circuit. So, at one point I thought maybe it was not possible to be a professional female jazz musician”
“They often say they just want the ‘best person for the job’ but the best person always seems to be male”
I am acutely aware: more female musicians in the jazz scene does not necessarily translate as- “things are better”-it’s more than a higher numbers.
At its essence we are talking about true equality, parity and a change in culture. A place where female musicians aren’t seen as ‘inferior musicians’ or ‘composers’ purely based on their gender.
“I saw many issues when I started out that unsettled me. Even with my band (not my musicians) I saw it. I was in one gig where the sound engineer did not realise I knew how to set up my gear so he would change the position of one of my mic’s and I kept having to instruct him that it was wrong and needed moving”.
The half Bahrain and half English, Yazz Ahmed details a particularly challenging time as a young female musician
“In my 20’s, in fact, I used to play in a backing band – which turned out to be a very horrible experience. I was touring the world at the time, but I was very innocent. Their views were very homophobic, sexist and a little Islamophobic. I was the only female surrounded by men and very young. I must admit, I did not know how to deal with the bigotry, so I never called it out”
“when I was growing up, I did not see any professional female jazz musicians out there”
Since her self-released debut album, Finding My Way Home (2011), Yazz Ahmed has become a ‘champion’ of female musicians. The Ivor Novello winner is in many respects an ambassador. Projects like Polyhymnia (2020) (Jazz FM album of the year) was a “celebration of female courage, determination and creativity”.
“Musicians need to make the conscious choice” Yazz states firmly “like big jazz ensembles who won’t take on any female musicians. If they need a musician in most cases, they usually just go for their mates or a male musician. They often say they just want the best person for the job, but the best person always seems to be male. I really admire, composer and trumpeter, Sam Eastmond, who makes a concerted effort to create projects and bands with an equal ratio of male, female, and trans musicians, but this is not the norm”
she adds,
“I am not saying things have not changed. I have seen it. Things really have improved a lot. There are so many established and up and coming female jazz musicians out there. Attitudes have changed a lot too, but we’re not quite there. There is still more to do to ensure female jazz musicians are the norm and carry true standing based on their talent”
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