Jazz Girl: A novel about Mary Lou Williams and her early life
by Sarah Bruce Kelly
(Murrells Inlet, S.C.; Bel Canto Press, 2010)
$15.99 softcover, 195 pp.
One of the most outstanding Pittsburgh jazz musicians of the 20th century was Mary Lou Williams, whose story is told in the fiction novel, Jazz Girl. Williams was born in Atlanta, Georgia in 1910 and moved to Pittsburgh’s East Liberty in 1922. Throughout her childhood she was haunted by strange visions and music that played in her head. She craved love from her mother, never knew her father, and desired nothing more than friendship with the neighborhood children, who scorned her because of her dark skin and stutter. The music in her head was her escape and salvation.
Her stepfather got her a piano, and she played constantly, both songs from memory and those she composed. Despite her mother’s warning that she was playing the devil’s music, Mary Lou played on; she wanted to bring people together with her music. Soon her playing gained the attention of a teacher who asked her to play for a group of friends. From that event, she was invited to play for Mrs. Andrew Mellon, who paid Mary Lou $100.00. Soon her reputation spread and Mary Lou went on to play at various events and locales in Pittsburgh. One of the finest passages is at the end of Jazz Girl, when she meets and plays side-by-side with the great Fats Waller. It is a beautiful ending to this fictional account of a young African-American girl with an innate musical talent that took her from ridicule (as a child) to the heights of acceptance and acclaim in American music lore.
Dave Borland is a volunteer in the Senator John Heinz History Center Library and Archives and is also author of the novel 2050; two books of poetry, Rivulets and Reflections; a book of short stories, Early On; and a play, “Angel of Mercy,” about UMW organizer Fanny Sellins. His next novel, In a Moment’s Time, is due out later this year.
by Sarah Bruce Kelly
(Murrells Inlet, S.C.; Bel Canto Press, 2010)
$15.99 softcover, 195 pp.
One of the most outstanding Pittsburgh jazz musicians of the 20th century was Mary Lou Williams, whose story is told in the fiction novel, Jazz Girl. Williams was born in Atlanta, Georgia in 1910 and moved to Pittsburgh’s East Liberty in 1922. Throughout her childhood she was haunted by strange visions and music that played in her head. She craved love from her mother, never knew her father, and desired nothing more than friendship with the neighborhood children, who scorned her because of her dark skin and stutter. The music in her head was her escape and salvation.
Her stepfather got her a piano, and she played constantly, both songs from memory and those she composed. Despite her mother’s warning that she was playing the devil’s music, Mary Lou played on; she wanted to bring people together with her music. Soon her playing gained the attention of a teacher who asked her to play for a group of friends. From that event, she was invited to play for Mrs. Andrew Mellon, who paid Mary Lou $100.00. Soon her reputation spread and Mary Lou went on to play at various events and locales in Pittsburgh. One of the finest passages is at the end of Jazz Girl, when she meets and plays side-by-side with the great Fats Waller. It is a beautiful ending to this fictional account of a young African-American girl with an innate musical talent that took her from ridicule (as a child) to the heights of acceptance and acclaim in American music lore.
Dave Borland is a volunteer in the Senator John Heinz History Center Library and Archives and is also author of the novel 2050; two books of poetry, Rivulets and Reflections; a book of short stories, Early On; and a play, “Angel of Mercy,” about UMW organizer Fanny Sellins. His next novel, In a Moment’s Time, is due out later this year.
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