Annie Booth (composer, arranger, pianist), a jazz faculty member at the Lamont School of Music, has co-founded a jazz publishing outlet which will champion women composers and arrangers.
The first jazz publishing outlet of its kind, Brava Jazz is on a mission to support women composers and arrangers in the field of big band jazz by creating a platform for their music to be widely published and distributed.
In pursuit of music that would diversify the UNT One O’Clock Lab Band’s setlists, Alan Baylock (composer, arranger, conductor) discovered that the major publishing outlets offered very few, if any, big band charts composed and/or arranged by women. In considering how he could lend his strengths in jazz arranging, copywork, and bandleading to help the visibility of women in the field, he formed the idea of a publishing company.
Brava Jazz Publishing began to grow roots when Alan met Booth, whose experiences in advocacy for women and young women in jazz inform a meaningful part of her career. Her experience as a big band composer, coupled with her entrepreneurial spirit, made her a terrific match in this endeavor.
Brava Jazz Publishing boasts an impressive and diverse artist roster with some of the brightest voices in jazz composition and arranging today. With a diverse array of music for all ability levels from middle school to professional, Brava Jazz provides a definitive resource for jazz ensemble directors to diversify their setlists effortlessly through the performance of the highest quality music composed and/or arranged by women.
For more information about Brava Jazz Publishing, its catalog, and its artists, visit the Brava Jazz website https://bravajazz.com.
