Selections from Zodiac Suite 
Mary Lou Williams (1910-1981) 

THE STORY

     Atlanta-born Mary Lou Williams was a musical prodigy from childhood: she became a professional musician at age 15; gave lessons to musicians such as Thelonious Monk and Miles Davis; arranged music for Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman, and Duke Ellington; and performed all over the U.S. and in Europe—yet, her story is far less known than those of her male counterparts.
     Although Williams didn’t become a household name, her fellow jazz greats had the utmost respect for her. And when Dizzy Gillespie invited her up on stage at a jazz festival, the music she chose to share was from her Zodiac Suite—a work first conceived for jazz trio and later arranged for chamber orchestra, with three movements even adapted for full orchestra.
     Composed between 1944 and 1945, the suite was revealed slowly: The 12 movements debuted over the course of 12 weeks on Williams’ weekly radio show. Corresponding to the 12 astrological signs, each movement is also dedicated to a musician (or musicians) born under that sign—including Duke Ellington (Taurus), Billie Holiday (Aries), Benny Goodman (Gemini), Dizzy Gillespie (Libra), and Thelonious Monk (Libra), among others. At our performances this weekend, we will hear eight movements.
     Williams’ musical palette is as wide-ranging as the characteristics of the zodiac signs—sometimes impressionistic and reminiscent of Debussy; sometimes using bold, impassioned chords in the piano that recall the concertos of Rachmaninoff or Tchaikovsky; and sometimes with the warmth and lyricism of Ellington.
     Ellington, for his part, praised the work as being “perpetually contemporary.” With its depth, complexity, and diversity, it was ahead of its time—and still feels fresh today, as pianist Aaron Diehl champions the chamber version and brings it to orchestras around the country, including the New York Philharmonic in March 2021.
     This performance is the first in North Carolina, a state with special significance to Williams: She was named Artist-in-Residence at Duke University in 1977 and lived in Durham until her death in 1981.

LISTEN FOR

• The up-tempo ballad of “Aries”

• The “jungle boogie” of “Taurus,” in tribute to Duke Ellington

• Two separate musical ideas continuously working along side one another in “Gemini”—the zodiac sign known as "the twins"

• The regal march in “Leo,” the king of the zodiac

• Echos of the Kansas City jazz tradition in “Virgo”

• The delicate impressionism of “Libra”

• Constantly shifting moods, from gloomy to joyful, in “Scorpio”—the zodiac’s most mysterious sign

INSTRUMENTATION

Piano trio (piano, double bass, and drums), piccolo, flute, oboe, clarinet, bass clarinet, bassoon, horn, trumpet, trombone, percussion, strings