
Overton Berry photo by Alex Crick
Seattle has been blessed with a rich jazz history. Join us this Black History Month as we celebrate and remember a few of the Seattle resident artists who had an enduring impact on the music and this community. Below are excerpts from previous issues, and you can find links about each artist below. Link are to articles from digitalized versions of Earshot Jazz magazines, hosted by the Seattle Public Library’s Digital Collections.
Buddy Catlett (1933 – 2014)

Buddy Catlett photo by Daniel Sheehan
Buddy Catlett had, through the first half of his career, an astonishing reach into jazz history as it unfolded, and then bore his experiences ahead into decades of performance and bandmateship in Seattle. The affection that he attracted from Seattle jazz musicians was legion. Praise for him, as a musician and a person, has come from afar. Quincy Jones, Buddy’s childhood and lifelong friend, called him “one of the greatest bass players to ever take the stage.”
Ernestine Anderson (1928 – 2016)

Ernestine Anderson photo courtesy of the family
Ernestine Anderson’s career began in the early 1940s, though she had begun to sing along with Bessie Smith records at age 3. Equally gifted at singing upbeat, spirited blues, big band/swing, and jazzy pop, by the 50s, Anderson had become a prominent jazz stylist performing with Lionel Hampton on the New York Club scene. “Ernestine was mother of Seattle’s soul music,” said Congressman Jim McDermott. “Mississippi had BB King and Seattle had Ernestine Anderson.“
Hadley Caliman (1932 – 2010)

Hadley Caliman photo by Steve Korn
Once Hadley Caliman picked up the horn at the age of seven, he never put it down. His devotion to playing, and his raw, intuitive sensibility for the artform was derived from self-schooling and peer learning on the bandstand. Caliman not only embodied the genesis and evolution of jazz, but also the renaissance of African American culture through jazz.
Overton Berry (1936 – 2020)

Overton Berry photo by Alex Crick
Overton Berry’s career began during the waning years of the legendary Jackson St. scene of the 1950’s. Berry was a pianist with a deep connection to the blues, and a penchant for enchanting a room with his ebullient personality, and gentlemanly demeanor. Always the entertainer, Berry was a commanding presence in a room, and backed it up elegantly with his full, rich sound.
Oscar Holden (1886 – 1969)

Oscar Holden photo courtesy of the family
Known as the patriarch of Seattle jazz, Oscar Holden “was a powerhouse player with a deep classical background and a stride style similar to Fats Waller’s.”
(Jackson Street After Hours). Arriving in Seattle sometime around 1919 (from Nashville via Chicago), he settled into a house directly across from Washington Hall, played jazz into the early 1960’s, and raised generations of artists including daughter Grace, son Dave, and granddaughter Darelle.
Floyd Standifer (1929 – 2007)

Floyd Standifer photo by Daniel Sheehan
Floyd Standifer was, among his peers and many fans, as admired as any jazzman the city has produced. A thoughtful, philosophical man who spent many years as a teacher of history and other subjects, and whose life was rich with other activities, he was, as Miles White put it in these pages, many years ago, Seattle jazz’s “venerable resident master. …For those in the know about Seattle jazz, Standifer is the undisputed king of the cool cats.”
We celebrate jazz as a Black American art form year round. Below are a few ways to engage this Black History Month with ourselves and our local community in thoughtful dialogue for Black lives, past, present, and future.
L I ST E N :
KEXP’s Jazz Theatre show hosted by Noel Brass, Jr. and John Gilbreath is an evening ritual, holding down the 1-3am slot Sunday night into Monday morning. Brass describes the show as, “My show is like a soulful step inside a comfortable ear-opening spiritual jazz club in Heaven’s waiting room.” Tune in at 90.3 FM or stream online at kexp.org/shows/Jazz-Theatre.
REMEMBER:
78, a public art installation of a large LP by composer, musician, and visual artist Paul Rucker can be found at the corner of Jackson & 23rd. The groovesof the records commemorate the names of jazz musicians and venues that existed in the 1900-1980s along the Jackson Street corridor. Learn more at 78onjackson.com, which also includes an interactive feature.
D I SC U S S :
February 20, Northwest African American Museum, $40 general admission Black feminist activist and acclaimed writer Loretta J. Ross discusses hergroundbreaking new book, Calling In: How to Start Making Change with Those You’d Rather Cancel. In a time of division, Ross challenges us to rethink cancel culture and embrace the transformative power of empathy and connection. Tickets at naamnw.org/events.
E X P LO R E :
Jazz Trails, is a self-guided, online walking tour of Seattle’s historic jazz district which begins in the Chinatown-International District and the ends inthe Central District. Rain or shine, you can take the tour anytime by going to JacksonStreetJazzTrail.org.