Lilian Terry: Forever Sisters Of The Soul - Renaissance Jazzwomen

I was warmly accepted by a giant such as Duke Ellington during his last seven years. He chose to be my friend, demanding my annual presence during his concert tours in Europe as his "good luck charm," and as his sounding board for all the phrases he would dictate to me, to be used later in his own writings. Our relationship was an unbelievable and precious experience."—Lilian Terry (1930-2023) Dizzy, Duke, Brother Ray, and Friends.

Hearing from jazz pianist/composer Francesco Crosara, the son of radio and TV personality Lilian Terry, about the summer passing of his iconic mother, was a moment for reflection. A renaissance woman, Terry was the celebrated Italian star pioneer of jazz; a legend, and a vocalist, TV/Radio host, producer, and businesswoman (music school owner), writer, and author. Many in the music industry were deeply saddened to hear about losing her. She had been celebrated for her dedicated contribution to the world of jazz throughout her lifetime.

"Lilian Terry, a multi-talented lady who was born in Cairo but has spent most of her life in Italy, has been a fervent advocate of the jazz cause for many years, whether as a producer, promoter, broadcaster, writer, lyricist, singer or jazz educator," proclaimed Mike Hennessey in 1985.

Crosara shared news of Terry's passing and posted on Facebook on July 15, 2023, the following tribute:

"My mother, Lilian Terry, the Italian "Pioneer of Jazz" passed away peacefully in Nice, France, at age 92 on June 29, [2023]. Lilian will remain in our hearts and her memory will always live in all the people she touched.

From her birthplace in Cairo, Egypt, [December 15, 1930] Lilian Cachia came to Rome and became known to the world as Lilian Terry and contributed to the legacy of jazz music with her records, radio and television programs, concerts, and interviews with the great figures of the jazz scene, and especially with the Dizzy Gillespie Popular School of Music in Bassano, which she founded in Italy.

To her many friends and family, she was simply Lily, always willing to listen and share her life stories and her wisdom with class, wit, experience, and open dialogue. Lily inspired many people and was very loved by all her friends and her family. She formed my own attitude towards the world and enabled me to grow, to travel, and to discover my own path with jazz performance. She was a mother to my wife Julia, and always inspired her with honest communication, and genuine love.

My mother loved Nice and made it her home 22 years ago, where she developed many very meaningful relationships. In the last few years, her health took a downturn, but she turned her suffering into inspiration with all the wonderful people who took care of her, with whom I am eternally grateful," said her son Crosara.

"Europe has produced many fine jazz instrumentalists but few vocalists. They face the problem of accent and feel of American English, which is the only language for jazz. Lilian Terry sounds the most American of the handful of European singers who have made it in jazz, yet she has the most international background of them all," said record producer George Avakian in 1982.

Jazz composer, producer, and pianist Crosara has a fine gift for the piano. And the hidden not-so-known secret is that he was mentored by the legendary jazz piano hero Chick Corea (b. 1941-2021).

Crosara is a Seattle-based talent. Performing at the Earshot Jazz Festival and other prestigious events in recent years, he has produced six international jazz albums. His 2000 album Colors, received four stars from DownBeat. "A pianist who originally hails from Italy, Crosara is well-versed in bop lore, and his delicate flow might indicate a debt to Bill Evans."

The pianist has performed with many artists globally from the USA, Japan, Mexico, Canada, France, Spain, and of course Italy, including his mother Italian jazz pioneer Lilian Terry, who inspired him greatly. Other influences have included Lionel Hampton, Freddie Hubbard, Roy Hargrove, and Von Freeman, to Bobby Shew, Barbara Morrison and many more. His main piano influences include the jazz world's greatest like Chick Corea, Bill Evans, Keith Jarrett, and Herbie Hancock.

"Francesco your music is wonderful and always has been, play what you love and saturate the world with it," proclaimed the great late legend Chick Corea.

Crosara spoke about an upcoming brand new CD project (his 7th CD release), which will be released in 2024, with Seattle's own Origin Records label. The release will feature three fine jazz trio formations and all-original music.

As a writer I was first introduced by my editor to Crosara's mother, the late charismatic Italian pioneer jazz celebrity and renaissance-woman, Lilian Terry, in 2018.

Five years ago, I was asked to read Terry's star-studded personal memoir and exceptional book, Dizzy, Duke, Brother Ray, and Friends, for a jazz review for DownBeat, whom I wrote with regularly as a monthly jazz writer/reviewer. One of my favorite magazine editors had told me that he knew I would love the assignment. And he was right.

"Lilian Terry is of the music and for the music, and she has the talent to use what she has learned in telling a story. There are a mess of wannabes who try so hard to be hip that they end up in the cornfield. The bonafide are few and far between. Lil is the real deal," said Ira Gitler in 2003.

"[...] the history in jazz is rich in anecdotal records and when one such by the broadcast journalist and singer Lilian Terry comes out in the form of a book it is reason to celebrate," added Raul Da Gama in 2018.

Terry as a producer/journalist, and translator in the 1950s and '60s interviewed many jazz stars as they came through Italy. Later in life, she interviewed jazz celebrities in France and the United States. She was highly creative and had established herself first as a gifted jazz vocalist, then as a female jazz journalist, TV/radio host, and of course as Italy's vocal jazz recording artist pioneer in 1957.

I wanted to share with you my personal tribute to Lilian Terry. Her admirable contributions as a pioneer, pushed the edges of the boundaries in a male-centered world in the 1950s in Italy, not too long after June 2, 1946, when women were first given the right to vote in Italy. Terry's accomplishments could not have been an easy feat. Once I started writing her book article review, we communicated back and forth a little bit concerning facts within the article.

I was so impressed with Terry's happy-go-lucky, yet refined, sparkling joie de vivre. But I also loved the book, and later we kept in touch, and then I grew to adore her. About her book, Dizzy, Duke, Brother Ray, and Friends, and other current work at age 89, Terry explained, "I tell the story of six great jazz artists as I have known them. Not as performers, but as relaxed human beings."

Terry said, "In my active years, from 1964 to 2001 (when I retired to the South of France), I met and befriended many artists... Count Basie and Tony Bennett, Dave and Iola Brubeck, Oscar Peterson, Chick Corea, McCoy Tyner, Freddie Hubbard, Betty Carter, Michel Legrand, Erroll Garner, etc... I have taped conversations and anecdotes which I am considering putting down on paper so that jazz lovers can enjoy discovering a special personal side of their favorite artists, as I have known them."

Midway through our friendship together as fellow musicians, journalists, and writers, I was happily surprised and honored when Lilian Terry proclaimed me to be a fellow 'sister of the soul,' a status she had once shared with the iconic celebrities Nina Simone and Abbey Lincoln.

Discussing in her book her relationship with Abbey Lincoln, Lilian wrote, "We would always find the time to 'and curl up take our shoes off,' in our armchairs to talk. She would laugh, grumble, criticize, but above all review her life, her mistakes and her hopes and her defeats and victories," in an excerpt taken from Dizzy, Duke, Brother Ray, and Friends.

Terry shared with me her thoughts about my magazine review of her riveting book, "When my friends at U of I. [University of Illinois] Press, sent me a copy of your [DownBeat] article... regarding my book Dizzy, Duke, Brother Ray and Friends, I had this weird feeling that you and I had met before, somewhere in the far past (it's the Egyptian fatalist in me). The very title of your [first magazine] piece "Sister of the Soul" was a signal and throughout your article, there was an odd feeling of fellowship.

So, I recently had the opportunity of relaxing at my PC and I looked you up... Ah, well! Of course! We were both female musicians, at the beginning, but gradually decided to share the magic world of jazz with those who could be enriched by it. So welcome to the 'sisters of the soul,' club, my dear, and thank you for your article."

I was honored.

It was a wonderful and meaningful friendship. She wrote, "I was raised by Catholic parents, in a Franciscan nuns' school and all through life I have studied the various aspects of the various religions: the Three of the Bible Book; the various Far Eastern aspects, even the Bahà'i (Gillespie) and L. Ron Hubbard (Corea). In the end, I am certain of one thing: nothing that happens in our life is purely coincidental. God, or whatever you wish to call Him has a set design for each of our lives: we are to go from A to end up at Z. Now the way we go through the various letters of this alphabet is partly in our hands, but mostly with a sinuous line that takes us ANYWAY from A to Z. In common words: you are free to try and take that trip riding on a donkey, or in a Ferrari, or on foot, but you still have to go from A to Z."

Lilian Terry was an iconic vocal jazz legend in Italy and had worked for the RAI (National Italian Radio and TV network) with many glamorous top-star interview subjects. The busy Terry, as a jazz vocalist, had released over 23 recordings, some with a few of her close friends and jazz celebrities despite being an active journalist/producer. Some of her albums included, Lilian Terry with Romano Mussolini and Nunzio Rotondo, RCA Italiana (1957). This was one of the first jazz albums ever recorded in Italy with the leading Italian artists, Romano Mussolini, and trumpeter Nunzio Rotondo.

Questo Amore È Per Sempre Amore Mio Non Mi Lasciar, featured Terry singing Burt Bacharach, in Italian. Ariel (1965).

Four of Us, CGD & CBS (1960 -1970), with Gianni Basso, Oscar Valdambrini, Dino Piana, Franco Cerri, George Gruntz, George Joyner, Buster Smith, et al. was recorded in Milan. Other well-loved stars she recorded with included Americans like the recording, Lilian Terry with a very special guest star, Dizzy Gillespie, Soul Note (1985).

Lilian Terry Meets Tommy Flanagan; a Dream Comes True, for Soul Note (1982) was also a favorite and proud moment of Terry's career.

Emotions was released with her son Francesco Crosara, which they recorded together in Chicago with Von Freeman, TCB Label from Montreux, (2003). On the release with her son, Terry said, "I sing in English, French, Brazilian, and Egyptian; with two Brazilian musicians (yes, a guitar!), two Egyptians (a violin), and the best band Chicago could offer, including [the] great Von Freeman."

Terry has been such a pleasure to listen to as one of the globe's female jazz pioneers. I particularly love listening to her sing in Italian and French. I adored listening to her sing beautifully in Arabic on, "A Night in Tunisia."

What does she sound like?

Lilian Terry shared the world of jazz vocalist divas of the era of the 1950s. Even now, her voice commands attention as grand, sultry, heartfelt, romantic, and melodious. With a slight vibrato within her long tones, she offers her grand majestic carriage of melody and spacious phrasing, reminiscent of the greats like Sarah Vaughan and Ella Fitzgerald. Her role as a journalist was so fitting for her, yet she had such grace. The interviews were excellently compelling, sparked by her curiosity and intellect. It is no surprise that she was loved so much in Europe.

Perhaps the deepest thought I had ever expressed to her, was this:

"Lilian let's make a pact. Whenever the appropriate opportunity to speak about racism or to write in a way that breaks down racial or any barriers [arises], let's you and I take it and take that opportunity to speak about justice. We have power as writers," I wrote.

Terry had been very active and additionally established her well-known school The Dizzy Gillespie Popular School of Music, in Bassano.

"The 'Dizzy Gillespie' Popular School of Music was founded in September 1983, in Bassano del Grappa, Italy, mainly as a means of bringing today's youth closer to music and off the streets. In September 1987 the School enlarged its scope to include non-seeing students. Many problems arise on this project and a major one is the scarce jazz material available in Braille print... We intend to organize a 'Bank' of such jazz material, and, once transcribed from normal print to Braille, it will be put at the disposal of any blind student or musical institute in need of it." —John B. Gillespie, Founder, and Honorary President, from Dizzy, Duke, Brother Ray, and Friends.

Terry had founded the school with Gillespie in Italy and ran the school from 1983 to 1997, resulting in many lifetime friendships.

She was supportive like a motherly figure, offering kind words of wisdom to those around her.

It was thanks to special and gifted role models to learn from like Lilian Terry, and other great women like her, that other women are inspired and made to feel fearless, too. Terry is in a special place as a renaissance woman-pioneer. Courageous and talented women music pioneers who sparked the imagination like Lilian Terry are pure inspiration.

Terry's superior finesse and honest and accommodating manner of communicating gracefully led to her many very close friendships with the kings and queens of "royalty," within the American jazz world.

She was a delightful pleasure to converse with. Her charm and grace with her curiosity and wisdom-focused intellect were strongly charismatic. Yes, Terry was groundbreaking and inspiring. (The unstoppable Terry was in her very upper senior years from ages 89 to 92 actively engaged, penning captivating new books and articles.) Her writing style was personal and immediate. And it seemed that she was always engaged in a very exciting creative project (or two).

To demonstrate her lifetime drive to create, Terry once added this thought when I asked her how she was doing, considering her age of 89, "I am well enough, considering I'll be 90 in December, and am working on a second book of memories of my old friends: Nina Simone, Erroll Garner, Sonny Rollins, etc. Yes, I have been very lucky in my long career, and according to Sonny (who is also my age) we are to meet again in a next life. My motto has always been, 'Why not?' "

Throughout her life, Lilian Terry had interviewed and/or had grown very close with numerous admired celebrities, and many were the favorite musicians of all time. The interview list included Dizzy Gillespie, Ray Charles, Oscar Peterson, Sonny Rollins, Nina Simone, Max Roach, Horace Silver, Duke Ellington, Abbey Lincoln, Dave Brubeck, Don Ellis, Tony Bennett, Chet Baker, Steve Lacy, and many more.

Terry had made a unique bonded sister-like friendship with celebrated musician and civil rights activist Nina Simone.

Cairo-born Lilian's father was from Malta, and her mother was Italian, and having Egyptian roots had given Terry a special and unique "in" with Nina Simone, who had always been fascinated with Egyptian kings, and queens, like Nefertiti. You can listen to Lilian Terry's intimate Nina Simone interview that Terry and Francesco Crosara licensed. It's a 1968 audio recording that was passed along to David Gerlach of Blank-on-Blank (a digital PBS producer), who created a marvelous cartoon featuring the 1968 Voices from the Jazz Dimension interview of Nina Simone by Lilian Terry. The link is on the Blank-on-Blank website, and the Nina Simone On Shock YouTube video is also available. Portrayed as a chic and fashionable cartoon, it's such a pleasure to watch and you just can't miss it.

Both Terry and Simone understood glamour, wardrobe, and poise.

"I love clothes. Yes, I do. I mean, if you come out the way you want to look you will create a mood before you open your mouth. And sometimes that can be enough to get your audience exactly in the groove where you want them," said Nina Simone in 1968, in her interview with Lilian Terry.

Within this famous interview in camaraderie together, Simone and Terry discussed evening gowns at first, but then it led to many other discoveries about each other. They learned along the way together that they were indeed sharing a connection as, soul sisters.

"Really in these days, in these hard times, you must be grateful that you are surviving, that you have your health... The cycle goes round and round. It's time for us," said Simone to Terry.

Lilian Terry made you feel as if you had known her for a lifetime and as if you were her closest family. She had such a kind and welcoming, nurturing nature and countless creative ideas and thoughts.

Her own history was intricate. Even her name was varied.

"When I was born, I was registered as Liliane Thérèse, but at The English School, I was Lilian Theresa, while at home from my Italian mother to the rest of the family and friends I was Lily (UK), Lilli (Italy) or Lili' (French). [My] last name used by my radio and TV colleagues: "la Terry," she had explained.

Terry wrote as we corresponded, "Alas, I lost my father when he was only 50 years old, from typhus, just when Fleming was discovering penicillin, and I never really stopped missing him, his sense of humor, the songs he taught me, like "Danny Boy," or the Opera. It's funny, at my very ripe old age I feel the same intense regret I felt at the time of his loss. So, hang on closely to your father and enjoy him as long as fate wills it." She advised, "Continue using your guitar to open the doors of music to your students," she said to me. "There is so much violence and ignorant discrimination in the world today that we, who can, have the duty to use our music as a social form of cure for the ills of this planet."

And I wholeheartedly agreed.

I feel so comforted as I write for you now, newly re-reading her kind motherly words throughout our correspondence, now copied permanently for my future reference. To honor her, I plan to pass her encouragement along and pay it forward in my interactions with my students and others that I might mentor throughout life.

Lilian Terry has a website, an official website designed by her daughter-in-law Julia Crosara, an abstract painter and graphic designer, whom Terry loved very dearly as her own and it is a lovely website worth discovering.

Terry's Facebook page is a must-visit curated by Crosara. You will see the Jazz Memoirs that she published for everyone's enjoyment, including topics such as her encounters with Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie, and Ray Charles. Her readers and fans can enjoy her fine legacy and photos and memoirs, purchase recordings, her book, and peruse a few of her interviews to celebrate her wonderful life that touched and inspired so many.

The full catalog of Terry's jazz interview tapes is now managed by the Crosaras, who are evaluating the release of an audiobook, along with Terry's last unpublished book of memoirs.

I feel fortunate to have known Lilian Terry, we shared our similar passions for jazz, performance, TV, radio, and jazz writing. She fueled my interest in music, TV and film along with others along this journey. Going forth even now, even though she is gone, I celebrate Terry's gifts, her excellence, and her wisdom. Her talents as a journalist were also inspiring to me. It is clear to me that she had become like a nurturing maternal-type figure to me, like a wise in-the-know mentor. Terry remains still in my heart close, as a 'dearest.' We remain 'forever sisters,' of the soul.

Terry's legacy lives on in all who loved her and experienced her warmth. We have her timeless music and creative jazz interviews and writing to take us forth. In sisterhood, her soul is a radiantly bright shining star. Terry's accomplishments illuminate a well-crafted path for young male and female musicians, TV/radio folk, writers, and journalists to gather wisdom and guidance from for shaping new decades forward.

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