What does it mean to be a woman jazz musician? That's the question at the heart of JAZZWOMEN, broadcaster and journalist Wayne Enstice's probing series of conversations with female jazz performers. The answers are as varied as the fascinating cast of characters he interviews. Enstice and coauthor Janis Stockhouse talk to 21 musicians, both well known (like Diana Krall and Shirley Horn) and more obscure (like trumpeter Clora Bryant, a contemporary of Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie). All have to overcome a certain amount of male prejudice; some, like the talented drummer Terri Lyne Carrington, the youngest student to be awarded a scholarship to Boston's prestigious Berklee School of Music, would be prodigies no matter what their sex. The man's world of jazz provides a wealth of riveting stories, from drummer Dottie Dodgion's tales of her days with Benny Goodman, to Krall's self-deprecating anecdotes of the supposedly glamorous world of jazz celebrity. Revealing, intimate, and often hilarious, JAZZWOMEN is a unique glimpse into the world of female musicians, all of whom demonstrate their intelligence, warmth, generosity of spirit, and deep-seated love for the music. Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.