Insiders on the Margins: A Conversation with Susan Barry

Abstract

This article ameliorates the dearth of literature devoted to South African women in jazz placing a lens on the lived experience of  influential pianist, composer, and educator, Susan Barry. I first interviewed Barry in March 2018 for my doctoral research and was  enamoured by the rich legacy of South African music within her shared narratives. I resonated with her story, despite our differences –  her experiences as a white female musician during apartheid and mine as a black woman in jazz in post-apartheid South Africa. This  resulted in a second in-depth interview in October 2021, where I probed further to unpack the untold parts of her story. This interview brings to the fore Susan Barry’s biography, philosophies, musical history and encounters with seminal figures in South African music and  jazz. The interview also touches on her musical style, contributions and experiences as a female instrumentalist in South African jazz/ music.