This Independence Day weekend, we thought we’d take a visit with one of our favorite performers, vocalist, pianist and songwriter Karrin Allyson to delve into her most recent project, “Shoulder to Shoulder: Centennial Tribute to Women’s Suffrage.”

It’s the 100-year anniversary of the nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution, which became law on August 18, 1920, when Tennessee became the thirty-sixth state to approve it.

The amendment is simple: “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.” Getting that amendment passed took more than seventy years and led to extending the franchise to tens of millions of Americans.

In all that time, there were many words - and music, too.

“Shoulder to Shoulder” adapts much of that music and some of the words into a sort of musical review of the movement - including contrary viewpoints and the wrangling that ensued.

We talked with Karrin about the project, play some music from it, and also talk about being a jazz artist in this unsusal times.

Also, a nod toward the musical legacy of composer and arranger Johnny Mandel, who died this week at the age of 94. Plus, a look at the jazz scene in Pittsburgh as venues and artists improvise their way through new challenges and concerns.

The Scene - Thursday night at 6, Friday and Saturday at noon and Sunday afternoon at 5.

From the Liner Notes of Shoulder to Shoulder:

It took some seventy years (and arguably more) to ink this clause into law. And it had immediate and enormous effects on the electorate as some 26 million women could vote in the 1920 presidential election, which swelled to over 74 million who voted in the 2016 election. And while the enactment of this amendment was cause for celebration one hundred years ago, it also exacerbated societal fissures, as African American women and other minorities weren’t able to fully participate in elections. 

Throughout American history, deciding which minority group should be granted suffrage has been the subject of intense debate. To clarify a common misconception, suffrage doesn’t mean “to suffer.” Suffrage comes from the Latin suffragium, which means “vote” or the “right to vote.” Although when you consider the suffering that many have endured to attain suffrage, the two words seem like synonyms and sound like homonyms. Yet what’s most evident are their antonyms: intolerance, inequality, and injustice. 

Women, African Americans, immigrants, and more “minority” groups have had their voting rights denied or diminished through history. And despite women being 50.8 percent of the US population, they have been treated like a subordinate group. It’s worth remembering the decades-long struggle that many pursued so that more could eventually participate in the democratic process. By understanding the sacrifices of our fore-mothers and fathers, perhaps more will be awakened to the importance of voting, come next election. And work towards safeguarding this right for all. 

Shoulder to Shoulder: Centennial Tribute to Women’s Suffrage seeks to re-create the multi-decade debate – warts and all – that culminated in the enactment of the nineteenth amendment. “We want to highlight this significant movement in American history. One that we shouldn’t forget and that is relevant today. It’s also one in which music played an important role,” said Karrin Allyson. A remarkable and multi-GRAMMY nominated artist, Allyson is also an activist who feels equally comfortable on the bandstand, as she does at the podium making the case for women’s rights. In fact, she has a history of writing songs (“Big Discount”, “Way Down Below”) that challenge conventional political wisdom and call for societal change. 

Whether provoked by the MeToo, Times Up movement, or the resulting societal zeitgeist, leaders in almost every industry and sector are reexamining their personnel and work place practices. Jazz is no exception. In the program for the 2019 Winter Jazz Fest in New York, Brice Rosenbloom pointed out that only 129 of the 750 performers are women: “While we have taken steps towards gender equality in programming, the next step is for bandleaders to also commit to more inclusivity in their groups,” she wrote.  

Allyson didn’t just commit to inclusivity of gender but exceptionality of talent. Her sextet is composed of some of the best artists in jazz. Full stop. Helen Sung (piano), Endea Owens (bass), Allison Miller (drums) make up one of the most gifted rhythm sections today. Ingrid Jensen (trumpet) and Mindi Abair (alto saxophone) give the band added genius and enrich the production with their strong spirit and support of women’s rights. 

Because of the theme’s inclusive import, Allyson and the production team invited several notable guests to “lend their voices” to the debate. Adding copious artists can risk turning any project from a cohesive musical statement to a “gathering place.” Alas, Allyson’s powerful and profound vocals provide the through line and beginning-to-end narrative arc of the entire production. This album is very much a story. And Allyson is its storyteller, with each guest thoughtfully featured to dramatize historical episodes in the women’s suffrage movement. In sum, the weft and number of artists enhances the welcoming and numerous spirit of the album. 

Chronology of Courage

Most of these songs are propaganda. They were composed in the nineteenth or early twentieth century to advance or abridge women’s voting rights. In fact, the “suffrage” repertoire is made up of hundreds of songs, and Allyson and the production team selected ones that typified the back-and-forth debate of the struggle. That these songs can be re-imagined speaks not only to their timeless quality but the power of music in advancing social movements. The “war” over women’s rights was waged, in part, through and by music. And here these songs are made relevant again through modern jazz.   

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