MAKING JAZZ HER STORY

JAZZ is a celebration of spontaneity—a genre for visionaries, risk-takers, and rebellious spirits who live in the moment. Nowhere is this spirit more embodied than in Monika Herzig's Sheroes, an all-female jazz band from New York that defies expectations.

- PRACHI SATRAWAL

Recently, Sheroes celebrated their tenth anniversary and launched their fourth album, All In Good Time, with an exhilarating performance at the Piano Man Jazz Club in Delhi as part of their world tour.

TMS interviewed Herzig, founder of Sheroes, to get an inside look at their journey, new album, and the evolving identity of jazz.

Breaking the mould
Founded a decade ago by pianist and composer Monika Herzig, Sheroes is a statement. Herzig felt a distinct lack of female representation on jazz stages and in music education. "I've been in the industry for a long time, and as a female instrumentalist, it's tough to find a place," Herzig said. "You often end up on the sidelines." This experience prompted her to create Sheroes, a band that, as she put it, "challenges expectations" of what jazz looks like on stage. The group is a powerhouse of talent, comprising some of New York's top female jazz musicians, each a leader in her own right.

The name Sheroes emerged as a playful twist on "heroes." Herzig explained it thus: "We were looking for a name that resonated, and Sheroes just fit. But our goal is to one day erase that difference, where we're simply seen as a jazz band without the qualifier 'all-female.'" Over the past ten years, Sheroes has inspired similar ensembles, gradually shifting the visual and cultural narrative around jazz. "New initiatives are coming up, but we still have a long way to go," she added.

Male instrumentalists and female singers is a combination that pervades all forms of music, including Hindustani classical, where the accompaniments are generally male and the epitome of musical success for females is to be the voice of the group. This observation certainly prompts attention—why is this the case?