Lionel Hampton International Jazz Festival Presents: Girls in the Band

In the world of jazz, women have long been marginalized as singers or piano players. Little has ever been documented about the enormously talented female trumpet players, saxophonist and drummers who struggled for recognition but were cut off from any meaningful employment by men who didn't want women on their bandstands. This film traces the history of the all-girl bands and the struggles of the handful who broke through the male bastions, and brings us into the present day, where brilliantly gifted young women are going toe-to-toe with the finest jazz musicians of their day.