Mary Lou Williams

Pianist, composer, arranger, and innovator Mary Lou Williams’ musical career reflected the history of American jazz from the late 1920s through the 1970s. Described by Duke Ellington as being “beyond category,” she was conversant in jazz styles ranging from stride and swing to be-bop and avant-garde, yet her music was always rooted in spirituals and the blues. Mary wrote and arranged for Duke and Benny Goodman, and she was friend, mentor, and teacher to Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, Miles ...