It would be fair to say that Stanley Kay is a man who likes a challenge. After all, anyone who opts to take the post of relief drummer with Buddy Rich must be possessed of a pretty adventurous spirit.

Kay joined the band in that capacity in the summer of 1946, when he was 22, and he went on to become Buddy's manager. Some 44 years and quite a few challenges later, he set himself another formidable task when he decided to put together an all-women Jazz big band, DIVA.

He was conducting a band, which included Sherrie Maricle on drums, when the idea of creating an all-female Jazz orchestra came to him. He was tremendously impressed by Maricle's drumming and wondered if it might be possible to recruit other women musicians with the same level of accomplishment. He organized a nationwide audition of players which produced some outstanding talents and the DIVA orchestra eventually came into being. The band made its concert debut in March 1993 and released its first album, "Something's Coming", in January 1995, it has since built an impressive international reputation.

The band has played at Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center in Washington, the Teatro de Sistina in Rome, the Hollywood Bowl, the Playboy Jazz Festival, on the S. S. Norway's Jazz cruise, on the QE2 Jazz cruise and at the Montreal, Berlin, Berne and Pori Jazz festivals.

"I'm proud of these ladies," says Stanley Kay. "I have always believed that, given the proper training and opportunities, women musicians can be as good as the best male players. DIVA have proved my point comprehensively, and they do it every time they play." "Music has no gender. If you can play, you can play."

In addition to DIVA, Kay currently manages Maurice Hines and is the Entertainment Director of the New York Yankees.

Mike Hennessey - jazznow.com

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