Umlaut Big Band

Mary Lou Williams (1910-1981) was a pianist, composer, and arranger. She aroused the curiosity of the public, because rare were the female instrumentalists in jazz, became in the 1940s the mentor of Thelonious Monk, Bud Powell and Dizzy Gillespie. Mary Lou Williams (1910-1981) wrote at this time for the orchestras of Duke Ellington and Benny Goodman, collaborated with Cecil Taylor or Buster Williams in the 1970s. When she died, she left unfinished a suite tracing the history of jazz. Mary's Ideas is a one-of-a-kind musical biography constitutes from rare sound archives, original manuscripts and unpublished scores gathered in 2019 during a research trip to the Institute of Jazz Studies.

Close to young musicians, resolutely active despite sexism and racism ambient, she remained all her life in the shadow of those to whom she was yet the associate or mentor. This program proposes to put its work in light. Through unique historical research in the world of jazz, the Umlaut Big Band makes heard the forgotten repertoire of composers and arrangers of the 20th century.

Echoing the approach of early music ensembles, the work of the artistic director and alto saxophonist, Pierre-Antoine Badaroux, has coupled with that of researcher in the manuscript archives of these composers to reconstruct the lost sounds. By favoring acoustics, the Umlaut Big Band pays particular attention to the rich sound that this instrumentation allows. Released in 2021, Mary’s Ideas, co-produced by the Philharmonie de Paris and the Théâtre de l’Aquarium, to which the ensemble is associated artist, documents the work of African-American musician Mary Lou Williams and allows today to reconsider the place of an unfairly neglected woman in the history of music.

The concert program will present works from the latest album, around the music of Mary Lou Williams, as well as musicians associated with her career such as Duke Elligton and Benny Goodman.