Before 5: Mary Lou Williams: The Lady Who Swings the Band

Mary Lou Williams: The Lady Who Swings the Band is a documentary about a brilliant outlier, a woman who dared to live on her own terms. During a time when women were expected to stay at home and raise children, Mary Lou Williams forged her own path as an unparalleled jazz pianist, composer and arranger. But this is also the story about a woman who pays a high price battling the gender and racial barriers in her way. Through her lens, we tell a larger story about women’s ongoing struggle for equality.

A conversation with filmmaker Carol Bash and moderator Aja Burrell Wood will follow. Wood is a Harlem-based ethnomusicologist who teaches African American music at The New School and Brooklyn College Conservatory. Her research includes jazz in the digital era, music and civic engagement in Harlem, and musical community amongst black classical musicians.

@SchomburgCenter | #Before5

FIRST COME, FIRST SEATED
For free events, we generally overbook to ensure a full house. All registered seats are released 15 to 30 minutes before start time, so we recommend that you arrive early.

PRESS 
Please send all press inquiries (photo, video, interviews, audio-recording, etc) at least 24-hours before the day of the program to Adenike Olanrewaju at adenikeolanrewaju@nypl.org.

Please note that professional photography and video recordings are prohibited without expressed consent.