The Syncopated Sisters podcast

Contemporary artist Nicolle Rochelle has a strong connection to the extraordinary Josephine Baker.

To find out more about her, Nicolle is the perfect person to highlight the incredible life, art and music of Josephine Baker.

Enjoy listening!

This Podcast series is part of the project Swinging Europe. Co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Commission.

It is about time to portray a female drummer of earlier jazz. This episode shines a light on the talented drummer Viola Smith. Have a listen!

Information from from:

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5c_XZaArH4
• https://jazzfuel.com/best-female-drummers/
• https://web.archive.org/web/20120201092526/http://articles.dailypilot.com/2011-11-26/news/tn-dpt-1127-viola-20111126_1_viola-smith-drummer-orchestra
• Clay, Joanna (November 26, 2011). "Still jazzing it up at 99". Daily Pilot. Archived from the original on February 1, 2012. Retrieved December 1, 2012.
• https://www.musicradar.com/news/pioneering-drummer-viola-smith-has-died-aged-107
• Bernstein, Adam (October 23, 2020). "Viola Smith, swing era's 'fastest girl drummer in the world,' dies at 107". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 23, 2020.
• https://www.namm.org/library/oral-history/viola-smith
• "Drummerszone artists - Viola Smith". drummerszone.com. Retrieved March 31, 2016.
• "Celebrating the Life and Legacy of Pioneer Drummer Viola Smith | Tom Tom Magazine". October 27, 2020. Retrieved December 6, 2024.
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlzCWHw7ZW8
• Dan Barrett: https://syncopatedtimes.com/viola-smiths-century-in-music/
• Rebecca DeRosa Celebrating the Life and Legacy of Pioneer Drummer Viola Smith | Tom Tom Magazine". October 27, 2020.

This Podcast series is part of the project Swinging Europe. Co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Commission.

The female musician residency # 2 took place in Sevilla, Spain this year.

Our partner of the "Swinging Europe Network" Marmaduke hosted the final concert of the residency.

The main organizer of this residency was Paula Padilla.

She did an incredible job!

Here a song that she composed and wrote:

"Keep your head up, sister!"(2016) performed by the "Flappers of today" in April 2024

https://linktr.ee/osisterjazz

https://www.instagram.com/osisterband/

This Podcast series is part of the project Swinging Europe. Co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Commission.

"Flappers of today"

This year our partner from the Swinging Europe Network, Marmaduke, an agency for music booking, production and management with a focus on Jazz and Swing based in Sevilla, Spain organized the Female Musician Residency # 2!

They have called it „Flappers of today“

Paula Padilla has done the main organization with lots of help of her colleague Helena Amado and Ivan Pivotti from Marmaduke. And with arranging by M. Comino Leon.

We were rehearsing a couple of days and had a final concert in the end.

13 female musicians on stage, playing and singing Blues and Jazz songs by female composers only.

Paula had done an incredible job. And Helena and Ivan, everybody that I don’t know personally and forget here, was involved in it, has.

Thank you very very much for this very special experience, that I was able to attend, too.

You can listen to extracts from the concert, the following songs:

• "Wild women don't have the Blues" - Ida Cox, 1924
• "Blue memories" - Blance Callaway, 1931
• "It ain't like that" - Una Mae Carlisle, 1941
• "My silent love" - Dana Suesse, 1932
• "Struttin´with some barbecue" - Lil Hardin, 1927
• "Whenever you're lonesome" - Emma Barrett, 1922

Performing musicians from the concert:

SOPRANOS

• Helena Amado
• Ilenia Appicciafuoco
• Juana Gaitán

MEZZOS

• Liane Limon
• Roberta Bevilacqua
• Yanita Stacheva
• Paula Padilla

ALTOS

• .Nina Thaler
• Angela Strandberg
• Margarida Martins

DOUBLE BASS

• Julia Hornung

PIANO

• Martina Mollo

DRUMS

• Nicoletta Quitadamo

This Podcast series is part of the project Swinging Europe. Co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Commission.

Lena Horne was a big star on stage and on screen in the 1940s and after. But she was not only know for work in the entertainment business, but also for being active in the civil rights movement and political organizations. She was an inspiration for many black people in the US back then. And still is today, even here across the ocean: singer Rachel Hermlin has chosen to talk with me about Lena Horne today.

Literatur and links:

• https://theswinginhermlins.de
• https://www.britannica.com/biography/Lena-Horne
• https://www.br-klassik.de/themen/jazz-und-weltmusik/lena-horne-jazz-saengerin-100-geburtstag-100.html
• https://www.npr.org/2023/10/31/1209644513/a-new-book-tells-the-life-story-of-screen-and-song-legend-lena-horne

This Podcast series is part of the project Swinging Europe. Co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Commission.

Bessie Smith was the most famous black entertainer in the 1920! Her singing was very iconic and she was a master of telling stories. There is a lot to remembered about her. I am very delighted to do so with Eda Özdek, a dancer, musician, organizer and much more!!

References:

• Brooks, Daphne A. Liner Notes for the Revolution - The Intellectual Life of Black Feminist Sound
• Chris Woodstra et all (1996). Stephen Thomas Erlewine, and Vladimir Bogdanov All Music Guide to Blues
• Davis, Angela Y. (1998). Blues Legacies and Black Feminism
• Debra Desalvo (2006). The language of the Blues
• Garon, Paul (1992). Woman with Guitar: Memphis Minnie’s Blues
• Gremer, Robert (). Secret Language of the Blues, What the lyrics really mean
• Harrison, Daphne Duval (1991) Black Pearls: Blues Queens of the 1920s
• Jackson, Buzzy (2005). A Bad Woman Feeling Good: Blues and the Women Who Sing Them
• Jackie, Kay (1997). Bessie Smith, a poet’s biography of a blues legend
• Jesse W. Shanks (2023). Legends from the Blues of fame
• Lieb, Sandra (1983). Mother of the Blues: A Study of Ma Rainey. University of Massachusetts Press.
• Muray, Albert (). Stomping the Blues
• Rits, David (1995) Rage to survive: Etta James
• Ward,Geoffrey and Burns, Ken (2002). Jazz, A history of America’s Music
• Thietre, Phillippe (2018). Blues en 150 Figures
• Tucker, Sherrie (2002) Swing Shift “All girl” bands of the 1940’s

This Podcast series is part of the project Swinging Europe. Co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Commission.

Another noteworthy trumpet player is portrayed in this episode: the excellent Dolly Jones. Christine dePierro is a trumpet player herself and I had a good time taking a deeper look into Dolly Jones´s magical music and the know information about her life.

Literatur and other links:

• https://jazzbluesnews.com/2020/09/10/dolly-jones-the-first-recorded-female-jazz-trumpeter-videos-photos/
• "Swing" by Oscar Michaux:
• ---- https://jazzbluesnews.com/2020/09/10/dolly-jones-the-first-recorded-female-jazz-trumpeter-videos-photos/
• ----- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76Y9BlRUmKQ
• Sherrie Tucker about "Swing": https://doi.org/10.1080%2F17494060902778092
• Rebecca Batleyhttps://reverb.com/news/spotlight-on-dolly-jones-the-first-recorded-female-jazz-trumpeter
• https://jazzbluesnews.com/2020/09/10/dolly-jones-the-first-recorded-female-jazz-trumpeter-videos-photos/
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NW4pmYBsyM4
• https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781315472096-24/jazz-history-remix-black-women-enter-center-sherrie-tucker
• https://www.jazzzeitung.de/jazz/2013/02/dossier.shtml

This Podcast series is part of the project Swinging Europe. Co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Commission.

Time for the magic of the trombone! The brilliant Melba Liston was a trombone player, arranger, composer and improviser and was very active from the mid of the 1930s. She has left a great legacy and is still inspiring for people today. That is why trombonist Marleen Dahms is the perfect musician of today to talk Melba Liston life and music and gender and jazz.

Literature and links:

// https://marleendahms.com

// „Bones of an arranger“: https://www.npr.org/2008/07/09/92349036/melba-liston-bones-of-an-arranger

// https://www.deutschlandfunkkultur.de › die-posaunistin-melba-liston-moderne-jazz-rebellin-100.html

// "The girls in the band" by Nicole Williams Sitaraman

https://thegirlsintheband.com/2013/11/melba-liston/

// archives.susanfleet.com

// https://www.allaboutjazz.com/musicians/melba-liston

This Podcast series is part of the project Swinging Europe. Co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Commission.

Annette Hanshaw was a very productive recording singer in the 1920s and 30s and has left a wonderful basket full of music to listen to. Guitarist, singer and composer Katharina von Fintel shines the light on her and tells us why Annette Hanshaw was an inspiration for her.

• https://katharinavonfintel.tumblr.com/Vita
• https://syncopation.de/bands/toolbox-orchestra/
• https://rufus-temple.de

This Podcast series is part of the project Swinging Europe. Co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Commission.

Valaida Snow was a remarkable trumpet player. And I am very happy to find out more about "the queen of the trumpet" together with another queen of the trumpet and the stage: Angela Strandberg.

• https://linktr.ee/mamashakers
• https://www.instagram.com/mamashakers/
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppcpJKOFYlY

This Podcast series is part of the project Swinging Europe. Co-funded by the Creative Europe Programme of the European Commission.