Bethany Pickens leads an all star band in a retrospective to honor jazz innovator, composer and pianist Mary Lou Williams, who arranged for Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington and Earl Hines, and mentored Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker and Thelonius Monk, among others. Amina Claudine Myers’ special commission salutes Williams, in honor of the jazz pioneer’s hundredth birthday. Participating as Music Director, Richard Wang, noted historian and Music Professor Emeritus at UOIC and project consultant Cecilia Smith from New York make certain that the celebration will engage the whole spectrum of Williams’ power.
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