February 25, 2014

Women in Jazz Festivals. Do We Need Them?

February 25, 2014/ Elaine Hayes

Valentine’s Day weekend marked the second annual Seattle Women in Jazz Festival, and once again, founder Jessica Davis put on a wonderful community-building event. It was the first of three similar festivals scheduled to take place this spring. This “mini-season” of women in jazz fests has gotten me thinking again about festivals dedicated to female performers. Do we still need them? Do they help or hurt the larger cause of women trying to make it in the male-dominated world of jazz? Which leads to the larger, most pressing question: How do we cultivate more female talent and build audiences for their concerts?

May 29, 2013

An Ode to the Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival

May 29, 2013/ Elaine Hayes

Friday afternoon as I eased into my long, holiday weekend, I ran across Abby Johnston’s thoughtful piece for Salon, “No women allowed: Summer music festivals are dudefests, again.” Ugh. Disappointing but not surprising. Then as I wrapped up my weekend I saw an advertisement for “The Women’s Concert for Change.” The ad was upbeat and promised an uplifting celebration of women. But, as it turns out, the concert, to be aired June 2, is part of headliner Beyonce’s new campaign to raise funds and awareness for female empowerment around the world. This is serious, more disheartening business.

Elaine M. Hayes

I am a Seattle-based jazz historian, writer, and editor. As long as I can remember, I have loved everything musical – be it the music itself, the amazing composers and performers who create it, or the stories behind the scenes. In addition to writing and blogging about jazz and classical music, I have taught music history classes and spoken internationally about big band “girl singers” and women in jazz, including one of my favorite musicians, Sarah Vaughan. This extraordinary vocalist is the subject of my biography Sarah Vaughan: To Bebop or To Be Pop.

Hi, I’m Elaine Hayes, a historian and recovering academic, who has been studying women in jazz for almost twenty years. I write about music and popular culture, teach music history, and speak internationally on jazz vocalists, especially my favorite singer, Sarah Vaughan. She’s the subject of my first book: Queen of Bebop: The Musical Lives of Sarah Vaughan, published by Ecco, an imprint of HarperCollins, in 2017. When I’m not immersed in all things musical, I’m a freelance editor. I live in Seattle with my husband and son.

If you have questions about me and my work, or you just want to say “hi,” I’d love to hear from you. You can fill out this form or email me at elaine@elainemhayes.com.

Elaine M. Hayes

Elaine M. Hayes

Lady Be Bop

Elaine M. Hayes

Elaine M. Hayes