Jazz is Still a Boys’ Club. But That’s About to Change.
Courtesy of Women in Jazz
Jazz is Still a Boys’ Club. But That’s About to Change.
with Louise Paley, Lily Carassik and Yazz Ahmed
By HURS Team
Jazz is built on improvisation—on risk, experimentation, and pushing sound forward. Yet, for all its innovation, the industry itself has been slow to evolve. Power still sits in familiar hands. Men dominate festival lineups, headline slots, and decision-making roles, while women—composers, instrumentalists, producers—fight for visibility in a space that often treats them as exceptions, not architects of the genre.
The numbers tell the story. A recent study from Women In Jazz found that 55.8% of respondents believe women are “very poorly” or “poorly” represented in the UK jazz scene. In major jazz festivals worldwide, women make up less than 20% of programmed artists. Behind the scenes, the numbers are just as stark—women hold fewer than 5% of leadership roles in jazz institutions and record labels. The industry has long romanticized the idea of jazz as a meritocracy, but in reality, access and opportunity are shaped by systemic barriers. Who gets to be heard? Who controls the industry’s gatekeeping structures? And how does that shape the future of jazz?
Change is happening—slowly. Initiatives like Women In Jazz, founded by Louise Paley and Nina Fine, are working to rewrite the script. With a 10,000-strong community spanning singers, instrumentalists, and composers, the platform spotlights female talent while tackling the structural issues that hold them back. Their latest project, The Year of Women In Jazz, is a direct response to the industry’s gender gap, launching a year-long series of new music, mentorship programs, and live events designed to shift representation from the margins to the mainstream.
So what will it take for real progress to stick? We asked four women leading the charge—on breaking barriers, changing the culture, and how the next generation of jazz musicians can reshape the industry for good.
LOUISE PALEY
Louise Paley is the co-founder of Women in Jazz, an initiative that exists to celebrate and showcase the music and stories of women, to inspire the next generation of talent. Alongside her co-founder Nina Fine, Paley has built a community of 10,000+ people; from singer-songwriters to producers, instrumentalists and composers. The Women in Jazz team of highly experienced creatives, direct, produce and execute projects focusing on music, storytelling and real-life experiences. The organisation has access to some of the top female artists in the genre; from BRIT Award-winning musician Celeste, to emerging drummer and composer, Jas Kayser. They have produced radio shows for Sky TV, Jazz FM and British Airways, run panel discussions at Love Supreme Festival and programmed live events at the renowned Ronnie Scott’s.
LILY CARASSIK
Trumpet player Lily Carassik divides her time between London, Manchester and Copenhagen. Since graduating with a Degree in Jazz Musicianship from Trinity Laban Conservatoire, she has recorded for and played with artists such as Soul II Soul, Rita Ora, George Ezra, Brian May, Arlo Parks, Oscar Jerome, Boy George, Becky Hill, Craig David, Anne-Marie, James Bay, Jamie Cullum. Carassik has played in some of the biggest venues around the world. From Wembley Stadium, Glastonbury Festival’s Pyramid Sage and The O2 Arena to Buckingham Palace, to name a few. She currently teaches Jazz Trumpet in the Department of Music at Goldsmiths, University of London.
LIZZ AHMED
Hailed as one of the most influential trumpet players of her generation, Yazz Ahmed is an Ivor Novello award winning composer who makes sweeping epics that are rich with storytelling, depicting evocative ancient worlds and mythological muses. Her career is studded with high profile collaborations, including recording and performing with the likes of Radiohead, Lee Scratch Perry, These New Puritans, and composing for Blue Note Records, Adult Swim and WOMAD. Ahmed garnered multiple rave reviews and awards for her albums, La Saboteuse (2017) and Polyhymnia (2019), which both feature her own brand of cutting edge psychedelic-Arabic-jazz. Now partnering with forward-thinking label, Night Time Stories, Ahmed’s fourth studio album, A Paradise in the Hold, dives even deeper into her dual heritage. The album marks the introduction of the voice into her compositional palate, with lyrics reflecting her own musings, daydreams and reflections on Bahraini folklore.
THE JAZZ INDUSTRY TODAY
THE LANDSCAPE IS SHIFTING
THE WOMEN IN JAZZ INIATIVE
THE REALITIES OF BEING A WOMAN IN JAZZ
THE ROLE MEDIA PLAYS
ADVICE FOR THE NEXT GENERATION
