Swingin' Through the Years

Many audience members were aware of the advisories on Bryant's health ever since the quadruple bypass surgery in 1996 that ended her playing days. Many also were aware of Bryant's unique philosophy about the bliss and benefits of live performance. "I stay very agile because I want to keep my heart going," Bryant says. "I was singing, and I wanted to get closer to the people and shake their hands. The people gasped and their mouths were open, but I was on cloud nine."

The event that had her so excited was the sneak preview of "Trumpetistically Clora Bryant," a documentary on the life and art of this rare female musician, who made her name in the clubs of L.A.'s famed Central Avenue in the 1950s.

Directed by Zeinabu irene Davis, the film has been a labor of love, taking 17 years to complete. The two women met as students at UCLA in 1987. Davis, in her mid-20s, was set on a career as a filmmaker. Bryant had returned to college in her 50s to get a bachelor's degree in music.

"We were introduced by a professor that we shared, Dr. Beverly J. Robinson," Davis says. "She was at that time the only African American who was teaching in the department of Theater, Film and Television at UCLA. She was the beacon in the storm for lots of us students of color. At the time I started making films [in 1982], there weren't a whole lot of black women filmmakers whom you could look up to."

One of the many delights of the documentary is how Davis reveals Bryant's determined and ultimately triumphant life story as a metaphor for the long roster of women whose talents and aspirations may be frustrated, but can ultimately transcend the restrictions of race and gender bias.