The Girls in the Band: College Version dir. by Judy Chaikin (review)

Abstract

The Girls in the Band: College Version. DVD. Directed by Judy Chaikin. With discussion guide and supplemental USB media device. Website with supplemental materials: http://thegirlsintheband.com/ [Studio City, CA]: Artist Tribe and One Step Productions, 2014. $99.00 (High schools and public libraries); $349.00 (College Version).The Girls in the Band is a step forward in filling a persistent gap in the standard narrative of jazz history. The role of women in jazz constitutes a parallel history largely unacknowledged by the commentators, historians, bandleaders, and record labels who had a role in deciding who and what was important in the genre. The film makes clear that women musicians of the highest caliber have been active in the entire history of jazz, even if conventional histories cast them in decorative or novelty roles, or have emphasized the glamour of singers to the exclusion of instrumentalists. The film's historic footage and oral histories provide a case study in the reality that history is only so objective, having been told through the lens of human perception by those who were chosen or allowed to tell the story.The discussion is framed by the observation of how few women were present in the historical photo, A Great Day in Harlem, which otherwise brought together a pantheon of legendary jazz musicians, and closes with a 2008 re-enactment which assembles several generations of women jazz musicians. The scope and pacing of the full-length film emphasizes the swing era, with earlier jazz primarily represented by Lil Hardin Armstrong. Artists active since the 1970s are also prominent, if presented in somewhat rapid-fire fashion toward the end of the film. The contrast in pacing is less apparent in the shorter classroom version (included as a separate DVD with the College Version), but the coverage between the 1950s and 1970 is noticeably lighter with both versions.The film records valuable oral histories before several interview subjects passed away, including Marian McPartland, Billy Taylor, and Peggy Gilbert. More information on circumstances of the interviews would be helpful to researchers; news articles which the film cites also invite further investigation, but were not included in bibliographical information.Ordinarily, packaging is of consequence to the quality of a film, but here, the cover art does an immense disservice, ironically demonstrating many of the skewed expectations for women musicians, and skewing expectations of the quality of the film. It features a Caucasian woman, in a tight-fitting, sleeveless little black dress with black lace reminiscent of lingerie, who is apparently pretending to play the alto saxophone in an unnatural-looking posture, and is therefore present for the sake of appearance rather than substance. A professional jazz saxophonist consulted by the reviewer noted: Left thumb not even on thumb rest, left fingers appear to be hanging on to the keys, preventing any movement. Right pinky is on a post . . . rather than the E-flat key (B. Bohnstengel, contacted August 4, 2014). These dismal appearances could deter other potential viewers and purchasers.The cover art presents an unintended teachable moment in its demonstration of many of the issues emphasized in the film, including gender steering of women to appropriate instruments (why not a baritone sax?), obnoxious costumes, and the premium of beauty to which women musicians were subjected without regard to talent. …