Overton Berry (1936-2020)
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A Mirror and Focus for the Jazz Community December 2020 Vol. 36, No. 12 EARSHOT JAZZSeattle, Washington Overton Berry (1936-2020) Photo by Daniel Sheehan For Connection, For Hope, For Experiences Thank you for your contribution! You can also donate online at That Elevate Us. www.earshot.org/donate earshot.org/donate Name ______________________________________ Address ____________________________________ Your donation elevates new talent, evolves the art form, City _______________ State _____ ZIP___________ and brings our community the incredible breadth of jazz music—past, present, and especially future. Email _______________________________________ ____ Sign me up for news & offers! Thank you for supporting jazz in Seattle! Phone ______________________________________ ___ Cell ___ Home ___ Work I/We would like to make a gift of: $50 $100 $250 $500 $1,000 $_______ Check # ______________ OR Card # ______________________________________ Expiration _____ / _______ Double your donation! Check with your employer to see if workplace gift-matching is available. Questions? Contact us at [email protected] Earshot Jazz is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization Tax ID 94-3051610 Return by mail to: Earshot Jazz 3417 Fremont Ave N, #221 2020 Earshot Jazz Festival Seattle, WA 98103 artist Benjamin Hunter 2 • EARSHOT JAZZ • December 2020 LETTER FROM THE DIRECTOR Kindness and Gratitude What a decade! As we come to the out of the glow of the final month of this incredible year, stage lights. The Ear- we want to thank you all for the en- shot Jazz magazine couragement, kindness and support will enter its 37th year that you’ve shown us (and each oth- next month. We love er) through these unparalleled, and creating it, and we’re mostly difficult times. grateful that this December is often a metaphor for community appreci- one thing ending, so that something ates and supports it. else can begin. We wish! Instead, Please join us! this moment often feels as though As always, we are so we’re locked in some kind of limbo, grateful to the musi- cautiously peering around the corner cal artists, students, of each new day; at worst it’s a down- and educators who ward spiral, and at best it’s, well, not work so hard to en- worse. Survival is the new accom- sure a strong future plishment. for jazz here in Seat- Like you, the Earshot Jazz orga- tle. This year brought nization has faced the challenges, us new opportuni- made necessary adjustments, taken ties to maintain that a hard look at our core beliefs, and important bridge applied our remaining resources to between the brilliant This is such a rich time for jazz; it’s the work in front of us. We’ve cho- artists of the day, and the public who a dark paradox that performance op- sen to focus on what we can do for support performances and record- portunities have all but stopped. You this community. We’ve redoubled ings. A DownBeat magazine festival can help support the environment our commitment to this monthly review ran last year under the head- for the remarkable artists who are magazine, sought new ways to sup- line, “Earshot Serves as Platform for set to make the future of jazz even port artists, committed to a series of Thriving Seattle Scene.” That’s the richer. Please make a donation to livestream concerts, and served up a essence of our work, and we need Earshot Jazz today. serious jazz festival at its established your financial support to continue And, given that evolving challenges time. The support you’ve shown for our growth. are the one thing we can count on these programs has been essential. Even in the best of times, concert these days, I’m making an early New Thank you. ticket sales offset only half of our Year’s resolution to focus on Kind- With this December issue of Ear- production expenses, and none of ness and Gratitude going forward. shot Jazz, we savor the gracious legacy the administrative costs. We need In today’s environment, that’s going of jazz treasure, Overton Berry, and your financial support to build on to take some work. I invite you to we remember the best “jazz mom” our legacy of service to this com- join me. ever, Helen Marriott; we also unveil munity, and to expand our effec- Stay safe, healthy, and motivated a new Earshot program that gives tiveness in the new environment of support to individual artists; and video production and streaming. We –John Gilbreath, Executive Director we shine a light on some of the indi- would love to speak with you about viduals working behind the scenes, new ideas. December 2020 • EARSHOT JAZZ • 3 SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT EARSHOT JAZZ U A Mirror and Focus for the Jazz Community Seattle Jazz Artist Relief Fund Executive Director John Gilbreath Managing Director Karen Caropepe Marketing & Development Associate Lucienne Aggarwal We’re excited to announce a new program, administered by Earshot Jazz, that Earshot Jazz Editor Lucienne Aggarwal will provide direct financial relief to individual jazz artists most affected by Contributing Writers Halynn Blanchard, Ian the COVID-19 pandemic. Thanks to the generosity of the Raynier Institute and Gwin, Paul Rauch Foundation, Earshot Jazz will be able to make 50, $1,000 gifts directly to indi- Calendar Editors Carol Levin, Jane Emerson vidual artists in need. Photography Daniel Sheehan The application process will be simple, and qualifications will center on “work- Layout Karen Caropepe Distribution Karen Caropepe, Dan Dubie & ing” jazz artists from the greater Seattle metropolitan area who are in dire Earshot Jazz volunteers financial and/or health circumstances. Applications will be qualified based on significant financial hardship as described in narrative and multiple-choice Send Calendar Information to: [email protected] questions, and demonstration of an active career in jazz as detailed in an art- ist statement, web site, or online presence. We are asking those artists who Board of Directors Chris Icasiano are currently employed or not facing severe circumstances, such as imminent (President), Sheila Hughes (Vice President), Chris Nutter (Secretary), eviction or hospitalization, or an inability to feed their families, to refrain from Augusto Cardoso, John W. Comerford, applying for this round of support. Maurice James, Danielle Leigh, Gail Pettis, Ruby Smith Love, Diane Wah Understanding that today’s conditions are untenable for many populations, we realize that this fund may be limited in scope. Guidelines and application ma- Emeritus Board Members Clarence Acox, Sue terials for the Seattle Jazz Artist Relief Fund will be available on earshot.org by Coliton, Taina Honkalehto, Hideo Makihara, December 1. The application opens December 1 and closes December 15 with Peter Monaghan, Kenneth W. Masters, Lola the goal to deliver funds by December 31. We are thrilled to introduce this sup- Pedrini, Richard Thurston, Paul Toliver, Cuong Vu port program, and thank Raynier Institute and Foundation for their generosity and support of the Seattle jazz community. Founded in 1984 by Paul de Barros, Gary Bannister, and Allen Youngblood. Earshot Jazz is published monthly and is available online at earshot.org. Subscription (with membership): $35 3417 Fremont Ave N, #221 Seattle, WA 98103 phone / (206) 547-6763 Earshot Jazz ISSN 1077-0984 Printed by Yakima Herald-Republic © 2020 Earshot Jazz Society of Seattle MISSION STATEMENT To ensure the legacy and progression of the art form, Earshot Jazz cultivates a vibrant jazz community by engaging audiences, celebrating artists, and supporting arts education. 4 • EARSHOT JAZZ • December 2020 Support for Earshot Jazz NOTES provided by: In Memoriam: Helen Marriott in early October. Serving for two and It is with great fondness that we re- half years, Tara’s main role was Pro- member Helen Marriott who passed grams Manager. As is the case with away recently on the evening of No- many small organizations, her work vember 4th. Many in the community extended to other areas of the orga- will remember Helen Marriott as a nization—her talents were appreci- staunch supporter of the arts, along ated as co-editor of this magazine and with her husband David Marriott, Sr. as one of the founders of Earshot’s (who passed away in 2018). She and Community Engagement Committee her husband worked tirelessly with along with many other contributions. Centrum Port Townsend, especially We wish her well in her new position in bringing a gracious hospitality to as Communications and Engagement the annual Jazz Pt. Townsend festival. Manager at Washington Wild. Helen Marriott’s extraordinary work in Correction to SassyBlack Profile establishing a whole new level of fun- Article draising for the Garfield High School In the November edition of Earshot jazz program ultimately played an in- Jazz in an article featuring local art- tegral part in broadening opportuni- ist, producer SassyBlack, we misstated ties for jazz in all Seattle area school that she is a femme artist. We also mis- programs. Her family includes two of quoted the phrases “I grew up anti-rac- Seattle’s favorite jazz musicians—her ist” and “taking care of marginalized sons: the trombonist David Marriott communities.” We regret the inaccu- Jr., and the trumpeter Thomas Marri- racies which have since been removed ott. Helen Marriott is also survived by in the digital version of the magazine. her daughter Rebecca. TeenTix Art as Activism Workshops Tara Peters Leaves Earshot Jazz TeenTix’s series of free online work- It is with great sadness that we say shops exploring how art is a powerful goodbye to our colleague Tara Peters tool for activism and the fight for racial who left the employ of Earshot Jazz December 2020 • EARSHOT JAZZ • 5 justice continues into December. Sat- Goessel, Birch Pereira & Jenny Little- 8 to provide feedback. The PDA will urday 5, features a course titled Music field, Kristin Chambers, and more...