Soul On Soul: Allison Miller And Derrick Hodge On Honoring Mary Lou Williams

Mary Lou Williams performed her groundbreaking devotional hymn St. Martin de Porres at the Monterey Jazz Festival in 1965 with an eight-voice choir. Later this month at Monterey, artists-in-residence drummer Allison Miller (who has worked with artists including Natalie Merchant and Erin McKeown) and bassist Derrick Hodge (who has worked with Maxwell and Common) will pay tribute to Williams in a program titled "Soul on Soul" that includes her tribute to the so-called "Black Christ of the Andes." This unusual pair, experts at balancing tradition with innovation, plans to revisit Williams' work from the 1960s and '70s with imaginative instrumentation: three vocalists, two pianists, bass and drums. Williams' piano typically lived at the center of her compositions, but Miller and Hodge heap praise on her masterful writing for their instruments as well.

Lara Pellegrinelli: As the "First Lady of Jazz," Mary Lou Williams is a figure of great historical and symbolic importance. But is her music relevant today?

: Mary Lou Williams will always be relevant. She's one of my idols. Derrick and I