Women In Jazz - forthcoming exhibition at The Barbican

[Serial_Apologist]

This starts up on Tuesday October 16th and goes on to the end of the year. I'll post details when these are forthcoming.

https://www.barbican.org.uk/whats-on/2018/event/women-in-jazz-a-celebration-of-the-past-present-and-future

What initially to outward impressions appeared to be a very perfunctory attempt at an exhibition, occupying one small side of the Barbican Centre library on Level 3, turned out to be more than I had expected or, unfortunately, been up to taking in as a whole. Display stands exhibited good photos of "the usual suspects", with text elucidating the direction of travel from vocalists fronting male big bands to stars of musicianship and leadership in their own right by the 1950s. There were glass cases exhibiting an original penned letter from Billie Holiday to an English fan, written around the time of her one tour of Britain, which took place in 1954, and to enthusiastic audience receptions; the Guest Stars T-shirt for a 1984 national tour. Contrary to what one had been misled to believe, Barbara Thompson was included, with a photograph previously unseen by me, but with only three lines of text to her name! A shot of the Ivy Benson All-Girl Band purporting to be dated 1976 had Barbara and, iirc, Deirdre Cartwright in the ranks, leaving me to wonder if this must have been intended for some kind of lineage tribute commemoration date, Barbara not having been a member since her early student days in 1960 or '61.

There were other posters, including of mixed female bands of African and Afro-Carribean and London Caribbean make-up, and for festivals celebrating women in jazz that had obviously passed me by, which made me wish I'd taken a notepad to jot facts down, given that no leaflet or booklet to the exhibition seemed available. One welcome feature was the amount of space devoted to British or British-domiciled musicians, mention being made of Cleo Laine, Annie Ross, Norma Winstone; the Guest Stars grouping of Ruthie Smith, Deirdre Cartwright, Laka Daisical, Alison Rayner, Josephina Cupido and Linda da Mango; and New Generationists Zoe Rahman, Trish Clowes, Laura Jurd and Alexandra Ridout. A video loop from the 1980s, clearly from a documentary, was of the Guest Stars, interspersing live footage with individual band member interviews, including one with Linda da Mango, percussionist and eventual manager and promoter to the group, talking about the problems and obstructions met with trying to tour in the States, and the impossibility of gaining funding from the usual sources or even nominal support - all of which had been gained through unofficial contacts and friends for a tour whose travelling costs had amounted to £10k, a great deal of money at the time. Linda also pointed out the amount of effort and time taken on by herself in promoting the band's album, comparing this with the personnel resources afforded to such work by the majors who had rejected them.

There were additional sound recordings of talks on subjects such as jazz and feminism, to which I had intended returning after taking a snack break to alleviate my iescalating lower back problems, there being no seating provided - the Barbican not being the sort of place where one feels entitled to plonk oneself down on the comfortable carpets, unlike the more informal Festival Hall. Unfortunately it turns out that the library closes at 2 pm on Fridays; and I'm not sure I really want to endure the Northern Line return journey next Monday, which will be the final day of the show.

[Serial_Apologist]

What initially to outward impressions appeared to be a very perfunctory attempt at an exhibition, occupying one small side of the Barbican Centre library on Level 3, turned out to be more than I had expected or, unfortunately, been up to taking in as a whole. Display stands exhibited good photos of "the usual suspects", with text elucidating the direction of travel from vocalists fronting male big bands to stars of musicianship and leadership in their own right by the 1950s. There were glass cases exhibiting an original penned letter from Billie Holiday to an English fan, written around the time of her one tour of Britain, which took place in 1954, and to enthusiastic audience receptions - and the Guest Stars' T-shirt for their 1984 national tour. Contrary to what one had been misled to believe, Barbara Thompson was in fact included, with a photograph previously unseen by me, but with only three lines of text to her name! A shot of the Ivy Benson All-Girl Band purporting to be dated 1976 had Barbara and, iirc, Deirdre Cartwright in the ranks, leaving me to wonder if this must have been intended for some kind of lineage tribute commemoration date, Barbara not having been a member since her early student days in 1960 or '61.

There were other posters, including of mixed female bands of African and Afro-Caribbean and London Caribbean make-up, and for festivals celebrating women in jazz that had obviously passed me by, which made me wish I'd taken a notepad to jot facts down, given that no leaflet or booklet to the exhibition seemed available. One welcome feature was the amount of space devoted to British or British-domiciled musicians, mention being made of Cleo Laine, Annie Ross, Norma Winstone; the Guest Stars grouping of Ruthie Smith, Deirdre Cartwright, Laka Daisical, Alison Rayner, Josephina Cupido and Linda da Mango; and New Generationists Zoe Rahman, Trish Clowes, Laura Jurd and Alexandra Ridout. A video loop from the 1980s, clearly from a documentary, was of the Guest Stars, interspersing live footage with individual band member interviews, including one with Linda da Mango, percussionist and eventual manager and promoter to the group, talking about the problems and obstructions met with trying to tour in the States, and the impossibility of gaining funding from the usual sources or even nominal support - all of which had been gained through unofficial contacts and friends for a tour whose travelling costs had amounted to £10k, a great deal of money at the time. Linda also pointed out the amount of effort and time taken on by herself in promoting the band's album, comparing this with the personnel resources afforded to such work by the majors who had rejected them.

There were additional sound recordings of talks on subjects such as jazz and feminism, to which I had intended returning after taking a snack break to alleviate escalating lower back problems, there being no seating provided - the Barbican not being the sort of place where one feels entitled to plonk oneself down on the comfortable carpets, unlike the more informal Festival Hall. Unfortunately it turns out that the library closes at 2 pm on Fridays; and I'm not sure I really want to endure the Northern Line return journey next Monday, which will be the final day of the show.

[Lat-Literal]

What initially to outward impressions appeared to be a very perfunctory attempt at an exhibition, occupying one small side of the Barbican Centre library on Level 3, turned out to be more than I had expected or, unfortunately, been up to taking in as a whole. Display stands exhibited good photos of "the usual suspects", with text elucidating the direction of travel from vocalists fronting male big bands to stars of musicianship and leadership in their own right by the 1950s. There were glass cases exhibiting an original penned letter from Billie Holiday to an English fan, written around the time of her one tour of Britain, which took place in 1954, and to enthusiastic audience receptions - and the Guest Stars' T-shirt for their 1984 national tour. Contrary to what one had been misled to believe, Barbara Thompson was in fact included, with a photograph previously unseen by me, but with only three lines of text to her name! A shot of the Ivy Benson All-Girl Band purporting to be dated 1976 had Barbara and, iirc, Deirdre Cartwright in the ranks, leaving me to wonder if this must have been intended for some kind of lineage tribute commemoration date, Barbara not having been a member since her early student days in 1960 or '61.

There were other posters, including of mixed female bands of African and Afro-Caribbean and London Caribbean make-up, and for festivals celebrating women in jazz that had obviously passed me by, which made me wish I'd taken a notepad to jot facts down, given that no leaflet or booklet to the exhibition seemed available. One welcome feature was the amount of space devoted to British or British-domiciled musicians, mention being made of Cleo Laine, Annie Ross, Norma Winstone; the Guest Stars grouping of Ruthie Smith, Deirdre Cartwright, Laka Daisical, Alison Rayner, Josephina Cupido and Linda da Mango; and New Generationists Zoe Rahman, Trish Clowes, Laura Jurd and Alexandra Ridout. A video loop from the 1980s, clearly from a documentary, was of the Guest Stars, interspersing live footage with individual band member interviews, including one with Linda da Mango, percussionist and eventual manager and promoter to the group, talking about the problems and obstructions met with trying to tour in the States, and the impossibility of gaining funding from the usual sources or even nominal support - all of which had been gained through unofficial contacts and friends for a tour whose travelling costs had amounted to £10k, a great deal of money at the time. Linda also pointed out the amount of effort and time taken on by herself in promoting the band's album, comparing this with the personnel resources afforded to such work by the majors who had rejected them.

There were additional sound recordings of talks on subjects such as jazz and feminism, to which I had intended returning after taking a snack break to alleviate escalating lower back problems, there being no seating provided - the Barbican not being the sort of place where one feels entitled to plonk oneself down on the comfortable carpets, unlike the more informal Festival Hall. Unfortunately it turns out that the library closes at 2 pm on Fridays; and I'm not sure I really want to endure the Northern Line return journey next Monday, which will be the final day of the show.

Thank you for these comments serial_apologist.

I have never been inside the Barbican. It always seems to look gloomy in an area of London which looks gloomy. Presumably it is a revelation inside although some of what you say does not necessarily suggest it. Places for sitting etc. Conceptually what you mention - an exhibition of women in jazz - is all for the good. I see that in the heading of the event they flag up Cleo, Billie, Nina and Ella as among the most well known and then say that their aim is to concentrate on instrumentalists. But you have mentioned that Cleo Laine is in fact featured plus there is no question that Nina Simone was an instrumentalist of considerable merit but I suppose they were meaning women who generally don't sing. I wonder about the atmospherics in music exhibitions, especially where there is minimal music. It takes a huge amount to make one so vibrant that it doesn't feel like a collection of items one has brought down from the loft in boxes. A punk rock exhibition I visited several decades ago - was it in the foyer of the RFH? - seemed oddly arid in the same way as one would do if in a library. The visual art connected with music can be striking and nostalgically moving but much of it can seem best placed on a person or a wall. This is not to say efforts shouldn't be made.

[Serial_Apologist]

Thank you for these comments serial_apologist.

I have never been inside the Barbican. It always seems to look gloomy in an area of London which looks gloomy. Presumably it is a revelation inside although some of what you say does not necessarily suggest it. Places for sitting etc. Conceptually what you mention - an exhibition of women in jazz - is all for the good. I see that in the heading of the event they flag up Cleo, Billie, Nina and Ella as among the most well known and then say that their aim is to concentrate on instrumentalists. But you have mentioned that Cleo Laine is in fact featured plus there is no question that Nina Simone was an instrumentalist of considerable merit but I suppose they were meaning women who generally don't sing. I wonder about the atmospherics in music exhibitions, especially where there is minimal music. It takes a huge amount to make one so vibrant that it doesn't feel like a collection of items one has brought down from the loft in boxes. A punk rock exhibition I visited several decades ago - was it in the foyer of the RFH? - seemed oddly arid in the same way as one would do if in a library. The visual art connected with music can be striking and nostalgically moving but much of it can seem best placed on a person or a wall. This is not to say efforts shouldn't be made.

Really I was tilting my account in favour of the British artistes included and taking for granted the names one would expect to be mentioned. But yes, the Barbican is in the middle of architectural canyon land where older buildings that survived the Luftwaffe, like the redbrick 18th century church across the artificial lake on whichever side of the outside one is on, and what then ensued, appear like theatrical props in a surrealist's landscape where the lightest of breezes become whirlpools in pursuit of the unwary. The interior of the building remains the nightmare it always was, badly signposted, with exits and staircases hard to find, and the loos right at the bottom of a structure one always feels one is in the bottom of, at whichever level. One of those places where those in charge probably receive thousands upon thousands of complaints, but know best, like BBC managers insistent that credits at the end of a film are there to be interrupted with trails for the next or future items, no matter how many people write in. But I have to say the the catering marks a big improvement on what was being dished up the last time I visited two years ago.