Queens of the Key Change

In honor of Women’s History Month, The Brew Collective invites you to an evening celebrating two uncompromising forces in jazz, Betty Carter and Mary Lou Williams. Brilliant, disciplined, and unwavering in their devotion to craft, both artists challenged an industry that underestimated Black women and insisted on defining their own terms. Carter built her own label to retain creative control and mentored emerging artists through Jazz Ahead. Williams, a prodigy of the swing era who went on to shape bebop, became a trusted mentor to musicians including Dizzy Gillespie and Thelonious Monk while expanding the possibilities of jazz composition.

This documentary double feature looks closely at their lives not as myths, but as working musicians who demanded rigor, originality, and ownership of one’s sound. Both women were exacting bandleaders and educators who pushed younger generations to practice harder, think deeper, and advocate for themselves in rooms that were not built for them. Their advocacy extended beyond the stage into education and spiritual inquiry, creating pathways for serious study and artistic independence.

Join us for a night of film, music, and conversation that honors their brilliance and continuing legacy 💫

Doors open at 5:30pm. Screenings begin at 6:45pm with But Then, She’s Betty Carter (53 min, A film by Joanne Burke), followed at 8:00pm by Mary Lou Williams: Music on My Mind (60 min, A film by Michelle Parkerson). Admission is free with registration.

With gratitude to Women Make Movies for distribution, LORE Leimert Park for hosting, and Robert Collins for support.

Much love,
The Brew

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