Happy Birthday Jazzberry Jammer Bertha Hope
🍾Bertha Hope, born November 8, 1936, in Los Angeles, California, is a most accomplished jazz pianist, composer and educator. As an elder in the jazz community, she has influenced generations of young musicians. She has recorded as band leader — In Search of Hope, 1990; Elmo’s Fire, 1991; Between Two Kings, 1992; and Nothin’ But Love, 1999.
The pianist, it is rumoured, displayed perfect pitch at the age of three when she first touched the piano keys. While still in high school, at age 15, Bertha had to get permission from her parents to accept a gig at a local jazz club Oasis — a two year stint. Later in New York, she enjoyed a 15-year stint with the all-female trio Jazzberry Jam. The iconic drummer Philly Joe Jones inspired her to form her own band once she decided to record the compositions of her late husband pianist Elmo Hope. The pianist also recorded with her second late husband, the bassist Walter Booker. Bertha acknowledges she was greatly influenced by Elmo but she says her primary inspirers were Bud Powell and Thelonious Monk.
Once you’ve listened to Bertha’s piano dexterity you’ll understand why she is so beloved, internationally, by musicians and jazz enthusiasts.
During this birthday year, Bertha is working on an autobiographical documentary; she’s also composing new material; and she is still very active on the New York jazz scene, as a first call musician and band leader.
Photo: Vicpeters, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Watch and delight “Bertha Hope 5″ play the Music of Elmo Hope at National Jazz Museum in Harlem
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