While jazz has well-established reputations in New Orleans, New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, you might be surprised to find that Seattle has long been a part of this rich music tradition. In an effort to capture and preserve this history, the Special Collections department of the Seattle Public Library created the Seattle Jazz Archive, which contains oral history interviews with many influential members of the community.
From musicians who played in the 1940s to those still playing today, the Jazz Archive covers a deep range of his compelling history. Hear Overton Berry describe his experience of the racial integration of the AMF Local 76 and AMF Local 493 in 1958 or about his seminal extended stay at the Doubletree Inn, which produced the album, The Overton Berry Trio At Seattle’s Doubletree Inn, a classic in its own right but also a sought after “crate-digger” record for hip-hop and rap producers. Evan Flory-Barnes shares developing musically through Garfield High School’s nationally recognized music program to his experience as a constantly “gigging” artist, often playing with his band Industrial Revelation, winners of The Stranger’s Genius Award.
After listening through this remarkable history, it’s time to listen to some music! The Seattle Public Library’s PlayBack program has been curating local music since 2016. Explore the intergalactic range of Industrial Revelation (featuring Evan Flory-Barnes on bass!) or the Steven Griggs Ensemble’s A Cup of Joe Brazil, a narrated history performance highlighting Brazil’s impact as a musician on the Seattle scene and as co-founder of the music curriculum at the University of Washington. There are currently 33 jazz albums by local artists but many more in Playback that span everything from blues to electronic to spiritual.
Let’s keep going and dig into the deep audio archives of the University of Washington’s Seattle Sounds Archive and Preservation Project. Explore the recordings from the Burt Porter Jazz Collection, who went venue-to-venue to record intimate jazz acts, a highlight being the effervescent Ernestine Anderson in 1951 at the 908 Club. You will also find collections featuring Pacific Northwest hip-hop, rock, folk, and everything in between.
Want even more? Check out our Rhythm in Colors: Seattle Jazz History reading list!
~posted by Joe B.
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