A Documentary: "Peggy Gilbert and Her All-Girl Band"
Jaygayle Music Productions is pleased to announce the completion of
the documentary feature, PEGGY GILBERT AND HER ALL-GIRL BAND,
starring Peggy Gilbert at 101 years old, and narrated by Lily Tomlin. We
are now seeking opportunities to screen the film at film festivals and
for not-for-profit organizations. Director, writer, and composer Jeannie
Pool is available to speak about the film and about the history of women
in jazz. Please contact us at jaygaylemusic@yahoo.com or
phone 818-606-5743.
"At 101, 'All-Girl' Band Leader Can Toot Own Horn. But Peggy
Gilbert doesn't really have to: A documentary has been made about the
sax player's remarkable life," by Cecilia Rasmussen in her column,
L.A. Then and Now, the California section, Los
Angeles Times, August 27, 2006, pages 1-2.
Recent Screening
The Peggy Gilbert Collection at CSUN
The Peggy Gilbert Collection at California State University, Northridge,
contains the personal music scores, scrapbooks, and
photographs of Peggy Gilbert, with a few items from her youth.
Scrapbooks date from 1920 through 1980. They include reviews, programs,
news clippings, awards and honors, photographes, correspondence, etc.
There are also scores and parts for the Dixie Belles.
The audio materials in the collection include an interview with
Peggy Gilbert and a 2007 BBC program about her.
For an inventory of the collection, click here.
"A joyful celebration of one woman's
extraordinary life."
— Leonard Maltin
"lf
male jazz musicians could achieve royal rank, providing us with a Duke
and a Count, Peggy Gilbert's career was clearly a testament to her
progression from Princess to Queen Mother."
— Larry
Gelbart
"It's refreshing to meet Peggy Gilbert, an
ever-upbeat bandleader, sax player and occasional screen actress now 101
years old. She's still sharp as a tack when it comes to remembering ...
a career that began with her touring at age 7(!). This cheerfuly,
stylistically prosaic docu-celebration [examines] the sexism suffered by
female orchestras and instrumentalists in the mid-20th century, but goes
deeper into the neglected realm of all-girl jazz/swing ensembles of the
'20s and '30s, too often ignored in the history books."
☆☆½
— Charles Cassady Jr., Cleveland
Free Times (9/27/06)
"It's a spectacular film about
Peggy Gilbert, still alive at 101 and very much a part of the film in a
variety of interviews. Its broad appeal is due to the very engaging,
spunky woman, who was active in Hollywood for decades and became the #1
contact for all new musicians seeking work there. Peggy Gilbert
performed on the saxophone into her 90s. The film is funny, informative,
and very moving." — Deborah Kavasch, composer; soprano;
Chair, Department of Music, California State University Stanislaus
"'Peggy Gilbert & Her All-Girl Band' is an inspiring, delightful and
heartwarming portrait of an indomitable and ageless woman who broke
through stereotypes and pioneered the way for women musicians
everywhere..." find out more...
You can contact Dr. Pool via email at
jaygaylemusic@yahoo.com or
write her at P.O. Box 8144, La Crescenta, CA 91224-0144.