2019 Grammy Awards: Why I'm using my nomination to speak out about sexism in the world of jazz

But we still have a long way to go in the music industry.As a female jazz musician, and a woman of color, I’ve dealt with sexism throughout my career. That was the last time I let a man play over me like that ever again.Unfortunately, women of color have been marginalized in so many industries for so long that it has become to feel almost normal. But this balancing act shouldn't be a requirement of my profession.Don’t get me wrong, I've had many male mentors who have advised and looked out for me in my career: Master drummer Ralph Peterson Jr., whose band I played in for a long time; Cecil Brooks III, former owner of Cecil’s Jazz Club in West Orange, New Jersey, where I would sit in; saxophonist Bruce Williams, who played with Frank Foster and the late Roy Hargrove; and Denver natives and saxophonists Javon Jackson and Brad Leali. Systemic sexism doesn’t mean all men in the jazz business are sexist, obviously.And I am very thankful for the female mentors I have met in the last six years or so, women like drummer Terri Lyne Carrington, who produced my Grammy-nominated album “Diamond Cut,” multiple-Grammy-winning vocalist Dianne Reeves and the late pianist Geri Allen. But the fact that I only recently have been able to really connect with women in my field is just one more example of the way the industry tilts towards men.And just like the way male club owners can discourage or undermine female players, the stories we tell about the history of jazz have erased the contributions of women for years.