Pianist Overton Berry played all over the world but he always called Seattle home, and Seattle jazz fans were proud to call him one of our own. When he passed at the age of 84 last Monday, he was one of the last of popular Seattle jazz artists from "The Jackson Street Era" that included Quincy Jones, Ernestine Anderson, Floyd Standifer, Buddy Catlett, Jabo Ward and others. His career developed around the time of the Seattle World's Fair, when he played at The House of Entertainment, Dave's Fifth Avenue, the Marine Room at the Olympic Hotel and the Doubletree Inn. He later played at Tula's, the Triple Door, Jazz Alley, Egan's and the Sorento Hotel. He first toured overseas to play in Viet Nam, later Tokyo, Hong Kong, Guangzhou China and other stops.
Music on this tribute show will include his first recording, Live at The Doubletree (1970) as well as a duo performance with Bruce Phares on bass at Tula's (2018) which we recorded for Jazz Northwest and first broadcast here. Other selections come from performances at The Admiral Theatre in West Seattle, and The islander on Lopez Island.
Jazz Northwest is recorded and produced by host Jim Wilke and airs Sundays at 2 p.m. Listeners may also subscribe to the podcast at KNKX, NPR, Apple, or Google.
