2 women bandleaders

[jazzboCR]

All-women bands with female bandleaders aren't all that rare and date from the '30's (Ina Rae Hutton q.v.) to the present (DIVAJazz also q.v.) but women leading mixed-gender bands is rare. 2 current leaders: Toshiko Akiyoshi and Maria Schneider.
Maria Schneider Her ax is her baton. Multi-Grammy-award winner + Downbeat polls + she causes others around her to get Grammys, etc. Songwriter, arranger, producer--keeps all the bears away from her projects that she totally controls. The first big recipient of crowd-funding, aiding her control * . Marvelous, complex (in a good way), modern Big Band jazz. Her Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_Schneider_(musician) Her Site: http://www.mariaschneider.com/ A Discog: http://www.allmusic.com/artist/maria-sch...iscography << last 4 projects were crowd-funded--it sure works for her. 7 CDs in 22 years but all stunners.

Some tunes:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdIW_AoTi_4 << extended version (15 minutes) w/ some narrative first
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzuZHvYnBxc << equally at home with Latin rhythms
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIrGXnXPNH0 Pt. 1 of 2 << Doing a Gil Evans piece . That's Ingrid Jensen on fluegelhorn--a gifted player and band leader in her own right.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkF5s-AtQf0 Pt.2 of 2 << Be in the first 1000 to see/hear this tonal-color masterpiece
Guest conducting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TDLniVjIdJ8

* About the crowd-funding she received to get that project done without ceding anything to anybody--here's the outfit that was used: http://www.artistshare.com/v4/ << no guarantees and I'm not pimpin' the merch--but then look at who they are assisting--stellar artists (the Spanish Harlem Orchestra, e.g.) and stellar projects (Gil Evans Project, e.g.).

[jazzboCR]

The more you hear and see of Toshiko Akiyoshi, the more invested/in love you get. One of the premier jazz arrangers (the unsung heroes of jazz). She's led big bands since 1972, issued that first Western album at 25 after being graduated from Berklee (there at Oscar Peterson's behest and personal scholarship): http://www.allmusic.com/artist/toshiko-a...iscography << as many stars as there are in Heaven A bio: http://www.berkeleyagency.com/jazz/toshiko-akiyoshi.htm

Some tunes: These first 2 span the ages: one from '58 (she was 29 with 5 discs released); the other from a more mature age (but of much more interest):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sutvim58cIQ#t=194 << w/ the redoubtable Keter Betts on drums
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0t8WSu6Tcc#t=19 << engaging note-by-note but overall, hypnotic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqFd0SuzqKA << a terrif example of being in control without needing to overtly assert it--"Yeah, Bro, go nutso with your solo but then come back to Earth and remember who wrote those charts."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4yKGoSFrD0 << His name might be on the door but, at best, he only ran the sax section, played his piece and offered advice--Akiyoshi-san is firmly in control.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEQ3zJ1cvhE