The Originality of Mary Lou

Mary Lou Williams is no doubt one of the great American Jazz composers in history. Her ability to arrange the instruments in such a successful manner is some of the appeal of her music. We have seen the evolution of the jazz orchestra from a small band of about seven musicians to ones that grew as large as twenty members and larger. It is this texture and variety of instruments that I find so appealing of Mary Lou's music. Not only that, but how she manipulates such instruments in her compositions is equally impressive.
Her band had somewhat of a stereotypical setup: drums, piano, guitar, bass, trumpets, trombones, and saxophones. I feel that Mary Lou established herself as such a significant composer because she was able to take the standard jazz orchestra a make it sound new and exciting. In her song "Roll 'Em," for example, Mary Lou allows a great deal of improvisation in the tenor saxophone and vocals, which allows for additional creativity and originality. However, she is able to unite the piece by never straying too far from the main theme.
Mary Lou Williams is known for creating traditional jazz, blues jazz, sacred jazz, gospel music, and non-traditional contemporary jazz. Her piece "Scorpio," for example, incorporates a flute which adds a more exotic mood to jazz music. There are few musicians and composers who are able to take a standard set of instruments and make them sound original and new. She cannot be classified under one style because she is multiple styles at once. As is quoted in the program for the Aardvark Jazz Concert by Duke Ellington, "Mary Lou Williams is perpetually contemporary. Her music retains a standard of quality that is timeless. She is like Soul on Soul." Her skill, passion, and originality will preserve her music for all time.

Mike Prisby