Unknown Female Musicians

[cannonball-addict]

I just found about this trumpet player Rebecca Coupe Franks who is super BAD. She is apparently from the West Coast. She recorded a pair of albums in the early 90s which got excellent reviews and then she kind of fell off the face of the earth. and has not done anything since (from what I can tell by numerous web searches).

Does anyone know about what she has been doing? And for that matter, let's talk about unknown female instrumentalists who are amazing and aren't getting any recognition or press.

matt

[Pete C]

Rebecca Coupe Franks is indeed good. If she's not in NY now she was for a while, and I believe used to gig at 55 bar.

Another great unknown trumpet player was Barbara Donald, who used to be married to (and recorded with) Sonny Simmons (check out Simmons' Burning Spirits on OJC). I saw her in the '80s with Gunter Hampel's Galaxie Dream Band, but I don't know what happened to her.

[7/4]

Kali Z. Fasteau aka Zusan Kali Fasteau - flutes, soprano and alto sax.

[A Lark Ascending]

Ingrid Laubrock

Marvellous tenor/soprano player. From Germany but works mainly on the UK scene.

Plays in a couple of Brazilian bands here - Nois and As Meninas - plus in a more searching contemporary style with her own bands and in Tom Arthurs' Centripede.

Excellent player.

[mikeweil]

"Little known" would be a more apt description, IMHO, since if they're really unknown, nobody will tell you about them ....

I have Rebecca Coupe Franks' first two CDs and find them to be pretty good, especially considering the fast company she had on the first one. I suggest you ask the label Justice Records for further info.

[Bright Moments]

Nikki Parrot (see my thread!) B)

[cannonball-addict]

Yeah mikeweil, I guess I agree with you. Except that she was unbeknownst to myself.

I forgot to include Josefine Cronholm - her voice is spectacular. She is from Sweden I think but records for Stunt Records based in Holland (i believe).

Alex Riel (the drummer) and a lot of other German/Dutch cats are on Stunt as well.

[JSngry]

Francesca Tanksley. In a word, superb.

http://www.dreamcallerproductions.com/dream/music.html

[Rooster_Ties]

I just found about this trumpet player Rebecca Coupe Franks who is super BAD. She is apparently from the West Coast. She recorded a pair of albums in the early 90s which got excellent reviews and then she kind of fell off the face of the earth. and has not done anything since (from what I can tell by numerous web searches).

Have no idea what she's up to these days, but I happen to own one of those Rebecca Coupe Franks CD's (cover is pictured below, but no AMG review, unfortunately). It certainly is a mighty fine date (got it for $1 at a radio-station promo CD sale), and I would welcome the chance to hear Franks in other contexts, or further albums from her.

EDIT: FYI, both of Rebecca Coupe Franks' CD's are available from half.com, for pennies on the dollar. I haven't heard "All Of A Sudden", but her other disc ("Suit Of Armor") is well worth picking up, especially for less than $5. Get on it!!!

EDIT2: There are audio-samples of both her albums on the AMG, HERE and HERE. (At least there appear to be. I can't get the samples to play, can anybody else???)

Edited May 19, 2004 by Rooster_Ties

[robviti]

Francesca Tanksley appears on a 1989 Candid disc called Dreamer by another female artist that has largely gone unnoticed: saxophonist Erica Lindsay. I first became aware of Lindsay from her work on Bakida Carrol's Door of the Cage. I think Dreamer is her only date as a leader, but she's also performed with Oliver Lake's Big Band. Forget the stereotypes about female reed players, this woman has plenty of strength and chops, and she doesn't veer toward smooth or easy-listening crap. If you see Dreamer, grab it! It also features Howard Johnson playing some great tuba, baritone sax, flugelhorn, and on one tune - penny whistle! There currently are some used copies of this disc on Amazon.com for less than $9. BTW, Johnson had a gig at Birdland a couple of months ago with an all-female band that included bassist Melissa Slocum, another artist deserving of recognition. Anyone catch that show?

P.S. The next female artist I plan to check out is trumpeter Igrid Jensen.

Edited May 19, 2004 by jazzshrink

[B. Goren.]

Francesca Tanksley. In a word, superb.

http://www.dreamcallerproductions.com/dream/music.html

I saw Francesca Tanksley more than a year ago here in Tel-Aviv. She came with Billy Harper quintet. She is a great player and the only CD she released so far, Journey, is really superb.

[B. Goren.]

Let's talk about unknown female instrumentalists who are amazing and aren't getting any recognition or press.

matt

Another great pianist is the Japanese Junko Onishi. The late Joe Henderson helped her to promote her career. At the early 90's she began recording for Blue Note and she recorded 5 CDs for the label. To the best of my knowledge she is back in Japan and she's recording for a local label.

Edited May 19, 2004 by B. Goren.

[JohnS]

Already mentioned Erica Lindsey, fine sax work on cd with Baikida Carroll and under her own name on Candid.

Sarah Morrow, trombonist, seen in the UK playing spendidly with David Murray. Also has a couple of cds out with her own groups.

Edited May 19, 2004 by JohnS

[Rooster_Ties]

P.S. The next female artist I plan to check out is trumpeter Igrid Jensen.

This one is a good one...

[Free For All]

When I lived in Chicago, from time to time I got to play with an excellent bassist, Marlene Rosenberg. She spent some time touring with Joe Henderson, and is a wonderful (and underrated IMHO) musician.

Edited May 19, 2004 by Free For All

[Chrome]

matt

Another great pianist is the Japanese Junko Onishi. The late Joe Henderson helped her to promote her career. At the early 90's she began recording for Blue Note and she recorded 5 CDs for the label. To the best of my knowledge she is back in Japan and she's recording for a local label.

[ghost of miles]

P.S. The next female artist I plan to check out is trumpeter Igrid Jensen.

This one is a good one...

Yes, Jensen has been through Bloomington a couple of times and definitely deserves wider recognition.

[Ed S]

Lorraine Desmarais. She's a pianist that I've seen numerous times over the years at the Montréal Jazz Festival. She's pretty well known and respected in Canada - particularly Montréal.

Judging by the reaction to Barbara Dennerlein elsewhere on the board, perhaps she fits into this category as well.

[Pete C]

Lorraine Desmarais. She's a pianist that I've seen numerous times over the years at the Montréal Jazz Festival. She's pretty well known and respected in Canada - particularly Montréal.

Yeah, she's really good. I also saw her several times in Montreal. She was just in NY in January at the IAJE conference; unfortunately they had her playing in a noisy corner of the Sheraton lobby.

[rockefeller center]

Multi instrumentalist, vocalist Amy Denio.

[B. Goren.]

She recorded with Jackie McLean on his 1996 disc "Hat Trick" (with Nat Reeves, bass; Louis Nash, drums), and that's a definite winner! She really seemed a good match with McLean on this.

"Hat Trick" is a very good one.

[Brownian Motion]

It's a bit off-topic, but there was a very highly regarded woman pianist named Margaret "Countess" Johnson in the 1930s. She turns up on a Billie Holliday session from '37 or '38, but died not long after at age 21. I believe these were her only recordings.

[brownie]

Have to add a new name to the list. Dutch trumpet player Saskia Laroo who plays brilliantly next to the great Teddy Edwards in a Dutch album 'Sunset Eyes 2000' I just purchased.

And very pretty too!

http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&u...l=A0v63tr3ekl5x

Ernie Andrews also sings on several tracks of the CD.

[jazzman4133]

Mary Osborne. Great guitar player.

Terry Pollard, piano and vibes. Played with Terry Gibbs for a long time. Saw them at Birdland and they would switch with each other, Gibbs on piano with his one finger blast and Terry on vibes.

Mary Fettig. Still very active. At one time (she was John Park's daughter-in-law), she, John Parks and his son (Mary's then husband) all payed in the Kenton band together. Great alto player. Can be heard on one Concord LP of her own and also (on Concord) with Marian McPartland.

Emily Remler. Taken way before her time. Guitar. Series of albums all on Concord.

Edited May 31, 2004 by jazzman4133

[tooter]

Not at all sure if she qualifies as little known, but not much about her at AMG.