In 1946, a quintet led by string bass player (and occasional singer) Vivien Garry made a recording for RCA Victor Records of Vivien's tune A Woman's Place is in the Groove (also known as Sycamore Blues). It was a 5-piece band. But the distinguishing feature of this group was that the players were all ladies.
The tune A Woman's Place is in the Groove is simple - just a riffy number based on a 12-bar blues chord sequence in that easiest of keys - Bb. But it was played in a rocking up-tempo style, with good teamwork and improvisations.
The tune A Woman's Place is in the Groove is simple - just a riffy number based on a 12-bar blues chord sequence in that easiest of keys - Bb. But it was played in a rocking up-tempo style, with good teamwork and improvisations.
Vivien Garry was married to the guitarist Arvin Charles Garrison. She played and recorded (with eleven different recording companies) in numerous small groups (often led by herself and including her husband) and she also made a few recordings with orchestras.
Vivien Garry lived a long life. She died just ten years ago.
Vivien Garry lived a long life. She died just ten years ago.
Here they are, with Edna on the left and Vivien herself at the back on the right:
Where did Edna Williams emerge from? Research takes us back to the Piney Woods Country Life School, about 150 miles (250 kilometres) due north from New Orleans. This institution, founded in 1909 as a boarding school for African-Americans, notably orphans, by the far-sighted Dr. Laurence C. Jones, set high educational and religious standards and was particularly strong in training future musicians. Today the school stands in a fine campus and includes a Laurence C. Jones Museum. Jones himself ensured that the school developed bands and choirs. It was he who started and led a girls' swing band. It went on to be the first manifestation of the big band (very popular and famous at the time) called The International Sweethearts of Rhythm. You can find examples of their playing on YouTube. From 1941, they operated as a professional group, independent of the school. Other young lady musicians of various races joined them.
They toured America, playing at top theatres and setting box office records. I find it appalling, though, that when they played in the Southern States, despite their star status, they were forced to live, eat and sleep in the band bus because the segregation laws prevented them from using the hotels and restaurants. The Band went on to entertain the troops in Europe towards the end of the Second World War.
Vivien Garry was able to hand-pick Edna Williams from that band to participate in her quintet. Also notable on the recording is Emma 'Ginger' Smock, 26 years old at the time. Bearing in mind that the Quintet had no reed player, Emma does an amazing job with her improvisations on violin. She went on later to lead an all-female sextet of her own. She died in 1995.
I have been unable to find out anything about the other two ladies on the recording, except that Wini Beatty also played and recorded with The Vivien Garry Trio. You can find her (on YouTube) both singing and playing piano in this group.
Why am I telling you all this - I who had never heard of Vivien Garry until recently? It's because my friend Marla Dixon and her five colleagues in The Shake 'Em Up Jazz Band (probably the best all-female jazz band in the world today) decided to call their latest Album A Woman's Place and to include among its 12 tracks A Woman's Place is in the Groove.
How do they play it? Like the Vivien Garry version, they begin with an 8-bar Introduction played principally on the trumpet. Then Vivien has a chorus led by the muted trumpet and violin in unison. Shake 'Em Up, having greater resources, also begin with a unison chorus. Vivien then has three remarkable choruses played by the great Emma Smock on violin, and then the equally-great Edna Williams plays three on the muted trumpet, sometimes sounding reminiscent of King Oliver. Next, Wini Beatty plays three on the piano, in the last of which she neatly decorates the notes played by bass and percussion, and ending with two bars of percussion that lead us into two final super ensemble choruses, where you might almost think you were listening to a big band. What an exquisite recording!
The Shake 'Em Up Band, with its different instrumentation, gives the clarinet, trumpet and trombone a couple of choruses each before choruses from the others (including a fine one from Molly Reeves on guitar) lead to a swinging final three choruses from the ensemble.
The strengths of The Shake 'Em Up Jazz Band are these: they have on trumpet, clarinet and trombone three of the finest exponents of those instruments anywhere in the world; and they are supported by a 'rhythm section' that - without any drums, or banjo, or brass bass, or piano - succeeds in generating an exciting and subtle pulse that drives the band along. It is amazing how well these ladies listen to each other and play as a team.
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Additional Note
As well as hearing this played by Shake 'Em Up on their Album, you can now view a live and extended performance of the tune - courtesy of that indefatigable and generous video-maker codenamed RaoulDuke504:
CLICK HERE.