She Blew Open Doors

I couldn’t help but to look, though I knew what I would find. From a high shelf, I pulled down my decades-old edition of Leonard Feather’s Encyclopedia of Jazz. Though Feather was for many years the jazz critic of record for the Los Angeles Times, hometown folks were often afterthoughts. I thumbed to the Bs and scanned. I landed on “Bryan, Mike, guitar; b. Byhalia, Miss., 1916. Self taught” and “Bryant, Raphael (Ray), piano; b. Philadelphia, Pa., 12/24/31.” In the space between the listings for these men, I pressed down hard with my index finger. As expected, I found no entry for Clora Bryant, most often remembered as part of the all-female band the International Sweethearts of Rhythm.

So, then and there, I began to craft a new passage.

Bryant, Clora Larea, trumpet; b. Dennison, Tex., 5/30/27, d. Los Angeles, Calif., 8/25/19

Started on piano at 5 or 6, switched to trumpet at 13 or 14, taking up her older brother’s horn when he was drafted.