Sophisticated Ladies: the Great Women of Jazz

by Leslie Gourse, Martin French (Illustrations)

This handsome volume contains the stories of fourteen fabulous women, blues and jazz singers all. Their art reflected their backgrounds—often small, poverty-ridden towns in the South—and the influence of musicians who preceded them. Each singer adapted the culture of jazz and wove it into her own personal style. Jazz historian Leslie Gourse’s biographies of Bessie Smith, Ethel Waters, Mildred Bailey, Mabel Mercer, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Anita O’Day, Peggy Lee, Dinah Washington, Sarah Vaughan, Betty Carter, Rosemary Clooney, Cassandra Wilson, and Diana Krall offer a fascinating glimpse into American history and a continually evolving musical genre.

Genres: Music, Biography

64 pages, Hardcover

First published January 18, 2007

Reviews

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good 2-3 page biographies of Jazz greats from 1920- the present.

[wildct2003 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good collection of profiles of female singers. Honest.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice collection of short bios on women of jazz. It would have been even better with a companion CD.