The Photo Exhibit of Mary Lou Williams

Mary Lou Williams, born Mary Elfrieda Winn in Atlanta, Georgia on May 8, 1910, was exposed to Ragtime, Boogie-woogie, and the Blues at the tender age of three. When her mother discovered her daughter had a gift to play the piano she had professional musicians come to the house to play for Mary Lou. At age 6, the family moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where Mary Lou was exposed to all kinds of music. She studied for a time under the then-prominent Sturzio, a classical pianist. Her grandfather would pay her 50 cents a week to play classical music (Il Trovatore) which she learned from watching and pressing down the keys on a toy piano. But her stepfather, Fletcher Burley, who hummed the Boogie and Blues for her was her main inspiration. Her talent quickly became known throughout Pittsburgh as "the little piano girl". It was not long before Mary Lou was playing at private parties and gambling joints, that her stepfather could sneak her in, well before she was ten years old.

It was during the mid-twenties that she made her first recordings with John Williams' Jazz Syncopators. At 17, she formed a small band in Memphis, Tennessee. Among its sidemen were Jimmie Lunceford, Glen Gray, and the Casa Lomas. During the Swing Era in the thirties, Mary Lou's strong playing -- especially in the left hand -- coupled with her many original compositions and unusual arrangements did much to spread the style known as Kansas City Swing: the strong blues-based and joyful music most widely known through Count Basie. Mary Lou wrote and arranged for Louis Armstrong, the Dorseys, Benny Goodman ("Roll Em" and "Camel Hop"), Jimmie Lunceford ("What's Your Story Morning Glory").

In the early forties Miss Williams began a long and happy engagement at Cafe Society Downtown in New York City. Known as one of "the original boppers" Mary Lou kept company with Dizzy Gillespie, Kenny Clarke, Oscar Pettiford, Miles Davis, Tadd Dameron, J.J. Johnson, Kenny Dorham, Charlie Parker, Art Blakey, and Thelonious Monk.

After her gig at Cafe Society, Mary Lou Williams could be found at Minton's listening to the sounds of Dizzy, Monk, and Bird. It was one of three known jazz spots in New York City’s Harlem were late night playing and creating new sounds in music occurred. Mary Lou Williams was in the center of it. They all brought their compositions to her to listen and her Harlem apartment (located then on Hamilton Terrace) was the gathering place for all of the musicians.

Until her death on May 28, 1981, Mary Lou Williams was involved in exposing Jazz to the world to preserve its history and future.

More........................ Call for times and info... Gwen Black the Curator--212/665-5313