# Female Jazz Piano Players **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 26, 2009, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-jazz-piano-players/487526 "2009-02-26T17:27:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-jazz-piano-players/487526/1 "2009-02-26T17:27:46Z")
In the past few weeks or months, I have found some excellent jazz piano ladies that I had been unfamiliar with before that. I’m hoping those of you who are piano fans will find these clips worth watching/hearing. If you have some favorites, please join in. To begin with, I have listened to all the old _Piano Jazz_ archives with Marian McPartland and her various guests. For more from Marian, including the full hour shows with these next ladies, go to [Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz : NPR](http://www.npr.org/templates/rundowns/rundown.php?prgId=24&agg=1) and click on the “Past Stories by Date” link on the upper right of the page and follow the descriptions for several pages. The first one I recommend is Eliane Elias: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZd92SA-jxk](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZd92SA-jxk) Next, Diana Krall: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ovk-0gVe-\_E](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ovk-0gVe-_E) Then, Hiromi Uehara: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JfKY0K\_NQk&feature=PlayList&p=F2B3BEDA767B7C69&playnext=1&index=74](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JfKY0K_NQk&feature=PlayList&p=F2B3BEDA767B7C69&playnext=1&index=74) Some of Marian’s other female guests have some good shows, but I haven’t been able to locate a decent YouTube sample for you. The gal who made me think of posting this thread is a Nashvillian who’s been active in all genres. [Beegie Adair - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beegie_Adair) Here she is on YouTube: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBHBsFW5Omg](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBHBsFW5Omg) Rather than just posting the names of women you like, please link to a clip of them performing or at the very least to their webpage. And if you find a better clip by someone already mentioned, by all means add it to the list. If this could remain a women-only jazz-only thread, that would be great. But at least keep it to woman and piano. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-jazz-piano-players/487526/2 "2009-02-26T17:44:52Z")
Sorry, going to start by ignoring your clips-only rule, because I don’t have a speed-of-light connection – but look for Amina Claudine Myers. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-jazz-piano-players/487526/3 "2009-02-26T17:50:42Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > Sorry, going to start by ignoring your clips-only rule, because I don’t have a speed-of-light connection – but look for Amina Claudine Myers. No sweat. And thanks for the name. Here’s a clip: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6T9nXYL0vg](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6T9nXYL0vg) ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-jazz-piano-players/487526/4 "2009-02-26T18:00:20Z")
[Lorraine Desmarais](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RbbxX2hJE6Y) ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-jazz-piano-players/487526/5 "2009-02-26T18:01:52Z")
May I present [Jean Kittrell](http://www.jeankittrell.com/)and her various St. Louis groups, including the Jazz Incredibles and St. Louis Rivermen. Can’t YouTube from work so I don’t know if there are any. But if there are, they’re primo. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-jazz-piano-players/487526/6 "2009-02-26T18:04:13Z")
The late great [Blossom Dearie](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxEfWCvh8uY) usually did her own piano playing. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-jazz-piano-players/487526/7 "2009-02-26T18:10:14Z")
> [@Sigmagirl](#): > > May I present [Jean Kittrell](http://www.jeankittrell.com/)and her various St. Louis groups, including the Jazz Incredibles and St. Louis Rivermen. Can’t YouTube from work so I don’t know if there are any. But if there are, they’re primo. Well, there’s at least this one: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0kKMwEO-lw](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0kKMwEO-lw) ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-jazz-piano-players/487526/8 "2009-02-26T19:51:15Z")
Geri Allen: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/42X2rb60_Mk/hqdefault.jpg "Geri Allen Trio, Dark Prince") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42X2rb60_Mk) ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-jazz-piano-players/487526/9 "2009-02-26T20:18:18Z")
Carla Bley (with Steve Swallow (bass) - Lawn) [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/YkBU5aM_6zM/hqdefault.jpg "Carla Bley and Steve Swallow - Lawns") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkBU5aM_6zM) ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-jazz-piano-players/487526/10 "2009-02-26T20:25:01Z")
At the time of the OP I had wanted to include Renee Rosnes in the list of Marian McPartland guests because she has at least two shows with Marian, one along with her husband Bill Charlap. But the YouTube clip was funky so I skipped hers. It’s working now: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9aew2vfOVaQ&feature=related](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9aew2vfOVaQ&feature=related) Gal don’t take no shit off a piano! ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2009, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/female-jazz-piano-players/487526/11 "2009-02-26T21:39:15Z")
Nina Simone. Plays piano and sings. It’s hard to find good video of her on YouTube. [My Man’s Gone Now](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKUu_P-wfdQ&feature=PlayList&p=4EDF222759C1411F&index=14) One of my favorite tracks ever, her version of George Harrison’s [Isn’t It A Pity](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z2w0Pgbqmok).