Lady Be Good: Instrumental Women In Jazz (2008)

Lady Be Good uncovers the forgotten stories of women in jazz from the 1920s to the 1970s. Narrated by musician-composer Patrice Rushen, the film follows the impact of female musicians, from the early pioneers like Sweet Emma Barrett and Lil Hardin-Armstrong, to the success of all-female big bands like Ina Ray Hutton & Her Melodears and the Hollywood Redheads. It also highlights female instrumentalists and arrangers like Dorothy Donegan, Mary Lou Williams, and Melba Liston, who significantly contributed to the work of famous male bandleaders such as Benny Goodman and Quincy Jones. Over nine segments, director Kay D. Ray's first film combines insightful interviews with musicians, bandleaders, authors, and historians with extensive archival photos, recordings, and performance footage to reconstruct a vital part of music history.