Jazz pianist Mary Lou Williams was a genius ahead of her time. From child prodigy to "Boogie-Woogie Queen" to groundbreaking composer to mentoring some of the greatest musicians of all time, she never ceased to astound those who heard her play. But for a Black woman in the early 1900s, life as a star did not come easy.
Score
Mary Lou's own compositions — the soundtrack IS the subject.
Direction
Carol Bash lets the music breathe, never over-narrates.
Editing
Seamless weave of rare footage and poetic reenactments.
Director
Carol Bash
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Mary Lou arranged for Duke Ellington and Benny Goodman but rarely got credit — she was the ghostwriter behind swing's biggest hits.
She was the only woman in Andy Kirk's Twelve Clouds of Joy, earning half what men made while composing most of their charts. The film's title 'Lady Who Swings the Band' was literally a marketing compromise — she WAS the band.
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