New Standards

Jazz Journalist’s Association Award 2022 “Honorable Mention!”

Extraordinary jazz by 101 women composers! From bebop to blues, from swing to global jazz styles, Terri Lyne Carrington’s collection includes a wide variety of well-known works and hidden gems, within a broad range of jazz and jazz-adjacent styles. This collection celebrates the work of many women who shaped the music of the past century, as well as its unsung heroes and emerging contemporary visionaries.

Available in print for the first time, you can access works from some of the best women jazz composers, such as “Throw It Away” (Abbey Lincoln), “Lawns” (Carla Bley), “Blue Nile” (Alice Coltrane), “Choro Dancado” (Maria Schneider), and “Blues for Herb” (Emily Remler). Learn and discover the works of esperanza spalding, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Geri Allen, Cecile McLorin Salvant, Cassandra Wilson, Dianne Reeves, Dorothy Ashby, Mary Lou Williams, Nubya Garcia, Nicole Mitchell, Melissa Aldana, Terri Lyne Carrington, and many others. 

From a 1922 piece by the influential Lil Hardin Armstrong to new releases by emerging contemporary artists, this collection finally opens a door to the brilliant colors and fresh sounds by so many important and often underacknowledged voices of jazz.

Terri Lyne Carrington is an NEA Jazz Master, Doris Duke Artist, and multiple GRAMMY®-winning drummer, composer, and producer. She is the founder and artistic director of the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice, which supports and advocates for the creations and careers of women and non-binary musicians.

“‘Necessity is the mother of invention.’ This book was NEEDED, and now under one umbrella, we all have access to these musical gems by 101 great ladies. Makes me proud!

—Valerie Simpson, of Ashford & Simpson, Songwriter’s Hall of Fame

“This is a long overdue volume that will instantly become an essential item for all of us who study and work towards an understanding of this music and its evolution. Besides being one of the greatest living drummers/bandleaders, Terri Lyne has done so much for the community at large in so many ways, for so many musicians. This publication is another example of her generous spirit and deep commitment to the music in action.” 

—Pat Metheny, Multiple GRAMMY®-Winning Guitarist and Composer

“The women mentioned in this book, have much to contribute to the cultural humanity of a world in which greed and arrogance have run rampant within the human condition. This book is in fact, a much needed ‘flashlight’ and ‘earphone’ into a treasure trove of composers, who open doors and elevate our spirits, so as to perceive authentic truth and value as we go forward, confirming our ultimate mission as human beings!”

—Wayne Shorter, Multiple GRAMMY®-Winning Saxophonist and Composer

“What a monumental contribution to the expansion of jazz repertoire. New Standards brings into focus and balance the long overdue omission of women’s creativity and compositional skills to the jazz community. I highly recommend this book to the curious, and to all creative musicians and educators who recognize the void that has been missing and has been denied us all this time.”

—Jack DeJohnette, Multiple GRAMMY®-Winning Drummer and Composer

“New Standards is a ground-breaking publication that I know will make a much-needed impact in jazz education and performance. The work of the Berklee Institute of Jazz and Gender Justice continues to make an indelible contribution in ensuring this beloved and rich art form is inclusive to all. I am so thrilled to have one of my tunes in this incredible collection!”

—Dianne Reeves, Multiple GRAMMY®-Winning Vocalist and Composer

Composers: Toshiko Akiyoshi, Melissa Aldana, Geri Allen, Lil Hardin Armstrong, Dorothy Ashby, Sheryl Bailey, Simone Baron, Jamie Baum, Camila Cortina Bello, Lakecia Benjamin, Airelle Besson, Cindy Blackman, Carla Bley, Jane Ira Bloom, Jaimie Branch, Karen Briggs, Courtney Bryan, Jane Bunnett, Terri Lyne Carrington, Regina Carter, Sara Cassey, Anat Cohen, Alice Coltrane, Carla Cook, Roxy Coss, Sylvie Courvoisier, Marilyn Crispell, Connie Crothers, Caroline Davis, Kris Davis, Eliane Elias, Sandy Evans, Jean Fineberg, Mimi Fox, Tia Fuller, Nubya Garcia, Devon Gates, Rachel Z Hakim, Mary Halvorson, Miho Hazama, Anke Helfrich, Monika Herzig, Hiromi, Jazzmeia Horn, EJ Hwang, Ayn Inserto, Ingrid Jensen, Christine Jensen, Mimi Jones, Laura Jurd, Grace Kelly, Ingrid Laubrock, Veronica Leahy, Abbey Lincoln, Melba Liston, Carmen Lundy, Sherrie Maricle, René Marie, Marian McPartland, Myra Melford, Allison Miller, Nicole Mitchell, Linda May Han Oh, Gretchen Parlato, Patricia Zarate Perez, Elena Pinderhughes, Tineke Postma, Dianne Reeves, Tomeka Reid, Emily Remler, Michele Rosewoman, Renee Rosnes, Ada Rovatti, Ellen Rowe, Shamie Royston, Patrice Rushen, Cecile McLorin Salvant, Angelica Sanchez, Marta Sánchez, Arcoiris Sandoval, Maria Schneider, Kate Schutt, Sara Serpa, Bria Skonberg, Cecilia Smith, Luciana Souza, esperanza spalding, Carmen Staaf, Leni Stern, Helen Sung, Alexa Tarantino, Camille Thurman, Marianne Trudel, Ariacne Trujillo, Noriko Ueda, Charenée Wade, Mary D. Watkins, Anna Webber, Mary Lou Williams, Cassandra Wilson, Brandee Younger