Jazz Singer Launches Women's History Tour
Jazz vocalist Eugenie Jones announced a national tour kicking off March 6th in honor of Women in Jazz Month. The tour specifically highlights women's contributions to jazz with performances planned across multiple cities throughout March.
Seattle-based vocalist Eugenie Jones did not begin her music career until after the passing of her mother in 2008, a loss that inspired her to begin singing. Before entering the jazz scene, she earned an MBA and worked in corporate marketing. Her debut album in 2013, "Black Lace Blue Tears," which featured nine of her original songs, won the Earshot Jazz NW Recording of the Year award. Jones has since released six albums and published 32 original songs, with her 2025 album "EUGENIE" peaking at No. 4 on Jazz Week's Top 50 chart. Her songwriting has been compared to that of Abbey Lincoln and Nina Simone. In recognition of her community work, the Jazz Journalists Association honored her with the Jazz Hero Award in 2023. The tour will make stops in cities including Denver, Atlanta, and San Francisco before concluding in her hometown of Seattle. For the Denver kickoff at Dazzle, Jones will be backed by an all-female trio featuring Tenia Nelson on piano, Domi Edson on bass, and Clare Church on drums. Historically, women in jazz have been predominantly recognized as vocalists, such as Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday, while female instrumentalists, composers, and bandleaders have received far less recognition. Figures like pianist Lil Hardin Armstrong, trombonist Melba Liston, and composer Mary Lou Williams were pioneers who broke ground in a male-dominated field. The tour aligns with Women's History Month, a period that highlights the often-overlooked contributions of women to jazz since its inception. While women were present from the beginning of the genre, they faced significant stereotypes related to their gender and race. Recent data shows a gradual shift in representation. In 2012, women constituted about 9% of jazz musicians, a figure that rose to nearly 27% by 2021. However, studies still indicate a significant gender gap, with one report finding that male-identified educators outnumber their female-identified counterparts by a factor of six in U.S. college jazz programs.
