Steve Berry (musician)

Last updated

Steve Berry
Birth nameStephen John Berry
Born (1957-08-24) 24 August 1957 (age 67)
Gosport, England, UK
Genres Jazz
Occupation(s)Musician, composer, educator
Instrument(s) Double bass, bass guitar, cello
Years active1980s–present

Steve Berry (born 24 August 1957) is a British jazz double bassist, composer and educator.

Contents

Career

Berry developed an interest in jazz during his fine art degree and moved to London in 1979, where he studied with Chris Laurence, Daryl Runswick and Dave Holland. [1] He also undertook postgraduate studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. In 1984, he joined the 21-piece jazz orchestra, Loose Tubes and became one of the main composers on their three studio albums and toured all over the World. [2] In 1988, he formed the Steve Berry Trio with Mark Lockheart on saxophones and Pete Fairclough on drums and released the album Trio on the Loose Tubes record label.

He has performed with many internationally recognised jazz musicians, including Scott Hamilton, John Surman, Tal Farlow, Art Farmer, Ian Carr and Lew Tabackin. In the 1990s he became increasingly active in jazz education and was appointed Head of Jazz and Improvisation at the Royal Northern College of Music in 2019. [3] He also teaches at the Chetham's School of Music. [4]

Discography

With Django Bates

With Loose Tubes

With Mike Westbrook

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Derek Bailey (guitarist)</span> English avant-garde guitarist

Derek Bailey was an English avant-garde guitarist and an important figure in the free improvisation movement. Bailey abandoned conventional performance techniques found in jazz, exploring atonality, noise, and whatever unusual sounds he could produce with the guitar. Much of his work was released on his own label Incus Records. In addition to solo work, Bailey collaborated frequently with other musicians and recorded with collectives such as Spontaneous Music Ensemble and Company.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keith Jarrett</span> American jazz/classical pianist and composer (born 1945)

Keith Jarrett is an American pianist and composer. Jarrett started his career with Art Blakey and later moved on to play with Charles Lloyd and Miles Davis. Since the early 1970s, he has also been a group leader and solo performer in jazz, jazz fusion, and classical music. His improvisations draw from the traditions of jazz and other genres, including Western classical music, gospel, blues, and ethnic folk music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthew Shipp</span> American pianist, composer, and bandleader

Matthew Shipp is an American avant-garde jazz pianist, composer, and bandleader.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Han Bennink</span> Dutch drummer

Han Bennink is a Dutch drummer and percussionist. On occasion his recordings have featured him playing soprano saxophone, bass clarinet, trombone, violin, banjo and piano.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evan Parker</span> British saxophone player

Evan Shaw Parker is a British tenor and soprano saxophone player who plays free improvisation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jimmy Giuffre</span> American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, composer, and arranger (1921–2008)

James Peter Giuffre was an American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, composer, and arranger. He is known for developing forms of jazz which allowed for free interplay between the musicians, anticipating forms of free improvisation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Swallow</span> American jazz bassist and composer (born 1940)

Steve Swallow is an American jazz bassist and composer, known for his collaborations with Jimmy Giuffre, Gary Burton, and Carla Bley. He was one of the first jazz double bassists to switch entirely to electric bass guitar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenny Wheeler</span> Canadian composer and musician

Kenneth Vincent John Wheeler, OC was a Canadian composer and trumpet and flugelhorn player, based in the U.K. from the 1950s onwards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barre Phillips</span> American jazz bassist

Barre Phillips is an American jazz bassist. A professional musician since 1960, he moved to New York City in 1962, then to Europe in 1967. Since 1972, he has been based in southern France where, in 2014, he founded the European Improvisation Center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Helias</span> American double bassist and composer

Mark Helias is an American double bass player and composer born in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barry Guy</span> British composer and double bass player (born 1947)

Barry John Guy is an English composer and double bass player. His range of interests encompasses early music, contemporary composition, jazz and improvisation, and he has worked with a wide variety of orchestras in the UK and Europe. He studied at the Guildhall School of Music under Buxton Orr, and later taught there.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vinny Golia</span> American composer and multi-instrumentalist

Vinny Golia is an American composer and multi-instrumentalist specializing in woodwind instruments. He performs in the genres of contemporary music, jazz, free jazz, and free improvisation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andy Sheppard</span> British jazz saxophonist and composer

Andy Sheppard is a British jazz saxophonist and composer. He has been awarded several prizes at the British Jazz Awards, and has worked with some notable figures in contemporary jazz, including Gil Evans, Carla Bley, George Russell and Steve Swallow. In 2019 he was presented the degree of Doctor of Music honoris causa by the University of Bristol.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trevor Watts</span> English saxophonist

Trevor Charles Watts is an English jazz and free-improvising alto and soprano saxophonist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loose Tubes</span> British jazz big band/orchestra

Loose Tubes were a British jazz big band/orchestra active during the mid-to-late 1980s. Critically and popularly acclaimed, the band was considered to be the focal point of a 1980s renaissance in British jazz. It was the main launchpad for the careers of many future leading British jazz players including Django Bates, Iain Ballamy, Eddie Parker, Julian and Steve Argüelles, Mark Lockheart, Steve Berry, Tim Whitehead, Ashley Slater. In 2015, the band reformed to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the band's formation, with concerts at the Cheltenham Jazz Festival, Brecon Jazz Festival and a sold out week at Ronnie Scott's.

Human Chain are a British jazz quartet led by composer and keyboard virtuoso Django Bates. The band have been Bates's main musical outlet since 1990 and have performed on most of his albums.

Iain Ballamy is a British composer and saxophonist. He is considered one of the 25 greatest jazz saxophonists of all time and was featured as one of the world's all-time greats in BBC Music Magazine's "100 Jazz Legends". The Guardian described him as "one of the world's distinctive saxophone voices". One of his closest musical collaborators is Django Bates.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Lockheart</span> British jazz tenor saxophonist (born 1961)

Mark Lockheart is a British jazz tenor saxophonist who was a member of the Loose Tubes big band during the 1980s.

John Kenneth Pochée, OAM was an Australian jazz drummer and bandleader. As drummer, bandleader and organizer he played a major role in the history of Australian jazz.

Paul Richard Edmonds is a British jazz trumpeter and piano player, composer and teacher. Described as the best jazz trumpet player of his generation by the great Canadian trumpeter, Kenny Wheeler, he was a member of the National Youth Jazz Orchestra, Mike Westbrook Orchestra and Loose Tubes and performed at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club both as a leader and sideman.

References

  1. "Steve Berry Biography". AllMusic . Retrieved 8 May 2022.
  2. "Steve's crusade to keep jazz alive and jammin'". www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
  3. "Steve Berry appointed Head of Jazz and Improvisation". www.rncm.ac.uk. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
  4. "Chetham's Showcase: Performer Profiles, Steve Berry - Double Bass". chethamsshowcase.wordpress.com. Retrieved 13 March 2022.
  5. "Steve Berry, In An Ideal World". www.theguardian.com. Retrieved 7 May 2022.