MARY'S IDEAS
Umlaut Big Band plays Mary Lou Williams
PDF BOOKLET INCLUDED
1930 - 1981
Rare and newly discovered works of Mary Lou Williams
Since 2011, the Umlaut Big Band has made a specialty of going back to the early decades of jazz to revive the music of the great bands of that era, while commissioning contemporary composers to write new works.
After working on Don Redman in 2018, the Umlaut Big Band continues its series of portraits of forgotten composer-arrangers by focusing on the work of Mary Lou Williams (1910-1981), a prolific musician whose career spanned 50 years of jazz history, constantly open by its transformations.
Initially a pianist and prolific arranger for Andy Kirk's orchestra, she aroused the curiosity of the public – for women instrumentalists were rare in this male-dominated milieu – and in the 1940s became the mentor of Thelonious Monk, Bud Powell and Dizzy Gillespie. She wrote for Duke Ellington and Benny Goodman on numerous occasions and collaborated with Cecil Taylor, Shafi Hadi and Buster Williams in the 1970s.
The personal archives of Mary Lou Williams, preserved at the Institute of Jazz Studies in Newark, bear the traces of this prolific trajectory. The original manuscripts, mostly unpublished, served as the main source for this project informed by precise historical research. Thus, the Umlaut Big Band allows us to hear for the first time numerous compositions written between 1930 and 1981.
Here, for the first time, the work of Mary Lou Williams the composer and arranger, has been considered as a whole. This album was conceived around themes specific to her musical practice: her relationship to the blues, the influence of Kansas City, the rewriting and reinvention of old works, the expression of a point of view on history and a relationship to youth. A reading that we hope will shed new light on an unjustly neglected figure.
1. History of Jazz for Wind Symphony: Introduction – Suffering
2. Chunka Lunk
3. New Musical Express
4. Just an Idea (Mary's Idea)
5. Medi No.2
6. Truth
7. Aries
8. The Count
9. Harmony Blues
10. Mary's Idea (1930)
11. After You've Gone
12. Body and Soul
13. Mary Steps Out
14. Gjon Mili's Jam Session
15. Sweet Georgia Brown
16. Stardust (big band version)
17. Lonely Moments (1943)
18. Sleepy Valley
19. Kool
20. Conversation
21. Scorpio
22. Untitled Incidental Music (excerpts)
23. Fill the Cup
24. Blue Skies
25. Joe
26. O.W.
27. Mary's Idea
28. Stardust (trio)
29. Lonely Moments (1946)
30. Ghost of Love
31. Fifth Dimension
32. Earl's Boogie
33. Roll 'Em
34. Taurus
35. Aquarius
36. Virgo
37. History of Jazz for Wind Symphony : Spiritual #1 - Spiritual #2
38. Fandangle
39. Zoning Fungus II
40. Chief Natoma from Tacoma
41. Shafi
42. Rosa Mae
Recorded January 23-27, 2021, at Philharmonie de Paris, France and mixed by Baptiste Chouquet/B media, assisted by Jean Viardo and Francesco Parolo
Mastering by Benjamin Joubert
Artwork and graphic design by Bonnefrite
Produced by Nawel Benziane and Pierre-Antoine Badaroux
Coproduced by Philharmonie de Paris, la vie brève – Théâtre de l’Aquarium, Umlaut Records, with support from the Mary Lou Williams Foundation, Inc.
Umlaut Big Band (in various combinations)
direction, alto saxophone: Pierre-Antoine Badaroux
alto saxophone, clarinet: Antonin-Tri Hoang
tenor saxophone, clarinet: Pierre Borel
tenor saxophone, clarinet, bass clarinet: Geoffroy Gesser
baritone, alto and bass saxophone: Benjamin Dousteyssier
trumpet: Brice Pichard, Pauline Leblond, Gabriel Levasseur, Emil Strandberg
trombone: Michaël Ballue, Alexis Persigan, Robinson Khoury
bass trombone: Judith Wekstein
piano: Matthieu Naulleau
guitar, banjo: Romain Vuillemin
double bass: Sébastien Beliah
drums: Antonin Gerbal
Umlaut Chamber Orchestra conducted by Pierre-Antoine Badaroux (on Roll ‘Em and excerpts from the Zodiac Suite)
flute: Liselotte Schricke
oboe: Sylvain Devaux
clarinet, bass clarinet: Geoffroy Gesser
clarinet: Antonin-Tri Hoang
tenor saxophone: Pierre Borel
bassoon: Ricardo Rapoport
trumpet: Brice Pichard
french horn: Nicolas Josa
trombone: Michaël Ballue
violin: Hugo Boulanger, Aliona Jacquet, Clémence Meriaux, Stéphanie Padel, Manon Philippe, Lucie Pierrard, Emilie Sauzeau, Léo Ullman
viola: Issey Nadaud, Elsa Seger
cello: Félicie Bazelaire, Elsa Guiet
piano: Matthieu Naulleau
double bass: Sébastien Beliah
drums: Antonin Gerbal
All compositions and arrangements by Mary Lou Williams unless otherwise stated. All arrangements by Mary Lou Williams.
CD1
History of Jazz for Wind Symphony: Introduction – Suffering 02:00
VARIATIONS IN THE BLUES
Chunka Lunk 03:18
New Musical Express 02:41
Just an Idea (Mary’s Idea) 04:22
Medi No.2 04:45
Truth 03:24
Aries 03:28
KAYCEE
The Count (Thomas Gordon) 03:33
Harmony Blues (Bennie Moten) 02:49
Mary’s Idea (1930) 02:53
After You’ve Gone (Henry Creamer & Turner Layton) 03:31
Body and Soul (Edward Heyman, Robert Sour, Frank Eyton & Johnny Green) 02:54
Mary Steps Out 02:52
PRELUDE TO DUKE - Pt. 1
Gjon Mili’s Jam Session 03:55
Sweet Georgia Brown (Kenneth Casey, Ben Bernie & Maceo Pinkard) 03:56
Stardust (big band version) (Mitchell Parish & Hoagy Carmichael) 03:12
Lonely Moments (1943) 04:39
Sleepy Valley 02:42
63, HAMILTON TERRACE
Kool 02:57
Conversation (Leonard Feather) 03:09
Scorpio 03:29
Untitled Incidental Music (excerpts) 04:13
CD2
PRELUDE TO DUKE - Pt. 2
Fill the Cup 03:22
Blue Skies (Irving Berlin) 03:05
Joe (Milton Orent & Mary Lou Williams) 02:23
O.W. 03:27
NEW BOTTLE, OLD WINE
Mary’s Idea (1938) 03:51
Stardust (trio) (Parish & Carmichael) 03:10
Lonely Moments (1946) 03:47
Ghost of Love (Jack Lawrence & Williams) 03:02
BOOGIES
Fifth Dimension 03:28
Earl’s Boogie 03:18
Roll ‘Em 10:32
ZODIAC SUITE
Taurus 03:01
Aquarius 03:34
Virgo 04:12
ETERNAL YOUTH
History of Jazz for Wind Symphony: Spiritual #1 – Spiritual #2 01:50
Fandangle 01:53
Zoning Fungus II 07:52
Chief Natoma From Tacoma 03:58
Shafi (Shafi Hadi & Williams) 03:28
Rosa Mae (Gracie Glassman & Williams) 04:08
