Jazz is Love: The Life & Music of Mary Lou Williams

Posted on February 14, 2020 by Deanna

Last week I gave a performance-talk entitled Jazz is Love: The Life & Music of Mary Lou Williams at Fordham University. Here is a three minute video interview with clips from the performance.

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The blues and an 84-year-old prophet named Anna

Posted on January 5, 2020 by Deanna

In this new year, I am picturing the Pittsburgh friends who were digging my solo on the blues in the above video as being with me in my New York apartment as I finish my Mary Lou Williams book manuscript. … Continue reading →

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The City Where Jazz is Love: Pittsburgh and Mary Lou Williams

Posted on October 18, 2019 by Deanna

Tomorrow will mark three weeks since my arrival in Pittsburgh. I initially came here for an engagement with my New York City trio; I chose to stay here for two months because of Mary Lou Williams and the musicians who … Continue reading →

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Some thoughts on Mary Lou Williams

Posted on September 10, 2019 by Deanna

UPDATE: Read Deanna’s article, The City Where Jazz is Love: Pittsburgh and Mary Lou Wiilliams to learn why Deanna spent two months in Williams’s hometown in the fall of 2019. This week NPR is shining a light on pianist-composer Mary Lou … Continue reading →

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When Joy Overflows into Music

Posted on July 5, 2019 by Deanna

I’m back home in New York City after a couple of whirlwind weeks in Pittsburgh, Minneapolis/St. Paul, and Philadelphia. A few photo highlights: On June 22, photographer Urban Landreman took this shot of me performing with Nnenna Freelon, Chris Berger … Continue reading →

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Mary Lou Williams Video and Deanna’s June dates in Pittsburgh

Posted on June 1, 2019 by Deanna

Here’s new video from Jazz Congress 2019, where I gave a six-minute pitch on my 2021 book/concert tour, Mary Lou Williams: Music for the Soul. I’ve been working steadily on my Mary Lou Williams biography (of the same title) to be … Continue reading →

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New Video! Deanna plays with Vanessa Rubin on WBGO’s Singers Unlimited

Posted on May 18, 2019 by Deanna

Last week I played with vocalist Vanessa Rubin on two radio tapings for Sirius XM’s Real Jazz and WBGO’s Singers Unlimited. The WBGO broadcast airs on Sunday, May 19 from noon-1 pm.  Hear it live or archived after the fact here … Continue reading →

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Gigs in MN and NYC: 4/29 in Collegeville, MN; 5/3 in Nyack, NY; 5/13-17 in NYC

Posted on April 29, 2019 by Deanna

I’ve been in Collegeville, Minnesota for the entire month of April working on my Mary Lou Williams biography. More on that in the next blog post! In the meantime, here are some performance dates coming up super soon (check my … Continue reading →

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We Walk in Love- the story behind Deanna’s Justice Choir song

Posted on March 22, 2019 by Deanna

In early 2017, I responded to a call for scores for a new collection of social justice songs being curated by Abbie Betinis, Tesfa Wondemagegnhehu, and Ahmed Anzaldúa. The songs to be selected as part of a new movement called … Continue reading →

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Mary Lou Williams and Deanna’s trip to Pittsburgh

Posted on December 13, 2018 by Deanna

UPDATE: Click to hear audio from Deanna’s December 2018 performance-lecture on the sacred music of Mary Lou Williams. As a musician, the sensation of being “in the flow” occurs when music is easily moving through me; when group interplay rises … Continue reading →

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