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Donald Macleod charts the extraordinary life of composer and jazz pianist Mary Lou Williams. Today, he explores her years of graft on tour in vaudeville and with Andy Kirk's 12 Clouds of Joy.

Mary Lou Williams鈥檚 music stands out from the crowd because, as Duke Ellington recognised, 鈥渉er writing and performing have always been just a little ahead throughout her career.鈥� A prolific composer and arranger, she was also a gifted pianist. A master of blues, boogie woogie, stride, swing and be-bop, Williams was quick to absorb the prevailing musical currents in her own music, naturally able to exploit her ability to play anything she heard around her. It is this restless musical curiosity that defines her own compositions, and led her to become friends with and mentor many younger musicians, among them Thelonius Monk, Bud Powell, Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie.

Born around 1910 in Atlanta, Georgia, Williams grew up in Pittsburgh, where she had to overcome racial segregation, gender discrimination and the disadvantages of an impoverished family to realise her musical ambitions. Learning to play entirely by ear, she was performing locally by age six. Barely into her teens she was touring professionally as a pianist, living proof that - contrary to the prevailing views - women really could play jazz as well as men. But her artistic success came at some personal cost, with instances of domestic abuse, two divorces, a gambling addiction, and the ongoing strain of trying to support her extended family, all taking its toll over the years. After taking a spiritual path, she spent some years trying to rehabilitate addicted musicians, and developed an interest in writing sacred jazz pieces, and after a long career of some 60 years she took on the mantle of educating future generations about the cultural roots of jazz.

Over the course of the week, Donald Macleod follows Mary Lou Williams as her life and musical pathways intertwine, from the early years playing Kansas City swing, to embracing be-bop, religion and modern jazz.

A bit of a dare-devil and a gypsy, life on the road appealed to Mary Lou Williams. She couldn't wait to leave her home town of Pittsburgh, first joining Buzzin鈥� Harris and his Hits 鈥榥 Bits on tour, but it wasn't too long before she was attracting attention from some bigger fish.

Walkin鈥� and Swingin鈥�
Andy Kirk & His 12 Clouds of Joy

A Kirk, ML Williams: Corky Stomp
ML Williams: Froggy Bottom
Andy Kirk & His 12 Clouds of Joy

Lotta Sax Appeal
Andy Kirk and his 12 Clouds of Joy

Mess-A-Stomp
Andy Kirk & His 12 Clouds of Joy
The Rocks
Mary Lou Williams, piano
Bearcat Shuffle
Andy Kirk & His 12 Clouds of Joy

Little Joe from Chicago
Mary Lou Williams, piano

Sammy Cahn & Saul Chaplin, arr. by ML Williams: The Lady Who Swings the Band
Harry Mills, vocal
Andy Kirk & His 12 Clouds of Joy

Herman Walder/ML Williams: A Mellow Bit of Rhythm
Andy Kirk & His 12 Clouds of Joy
Mary鈥檚 Idea
Andy Kirk & His 12 Clouds of Joy

罢飞颈苍办濒颈苍鈥�
Andy Kirk and his Twelve Clouds of Joy
Jelly Roll Morton, arr. ML Williams: The Pearls
Mary Lou Williams, piano
What鈥檚 Your Story, Morning Glory
Andy Kirk and his Twelve Clouds of Joy
Pha Terrell, vocal,
Scratchin鈥� in the Gravel
Andy Kirk and his Twelve Clouds of Joy