´óÏó´«Ã½

Jazz writer, social historian, acclaimed photographer: over six decades, Val Wilmer has become "a world figure in the history of African-American musical culture". What drives her?

In 1956, Valerie Wilmer - aged 14 - took a snap at London Airport of a grinning Louis Armstrong. Thus began a remarkable career that has brought her close up to almost every significant figure in post-war jazz, blues and R&B.

Her books, articles and photographs delve deep into the minds, lives and politics of jazz's most famous exponents - John Coltrane, Thelonious Monk, Charles Mingus - as well as countless unrecognised men and women who have shaped African-American culture since the 1950s.

How does she reveal the intimate humanity of her subjects? How, "as a white woman, as an English woman!", has she gained such trust and respect? What makes her "a world figure" in the history of Black music?

Val Wilmer is a woman with remarkable stories to tell. Here, for ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio 3, she brings her encounters and recollections vividly to life... and shares her strong views on racism, feminism, and responsible journalism.

Includes contributions from Margaret Busby (publisher and co-founder of Allison & Busby), Paul Gilroy (writer and academic), Richard Williams (journalist and biographer), Andrew Cyrille (musician and drummer), and Clive Wilmer (poet, and brother of Val).

Producer: Steve Urquhart
A Falling Tree production for ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio 3.