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Beryl Booker
Beryl played with an elite list of world renown jazz figures including, Billie Holiday, Dinah Washington, Count Basie, Miles Davis, Don Byas, and Slam Stewart. At the behest of ardent promoter Leonard Feather, Beryl formed her own historic, integrated, all female trio that included drummer, Elaine Leighton, and bassist, Bonnie Wetzel. They toured Europe in 1954 as part of the historic Jazz Club USA package, where the trio opened nightly for Billie Holiday, and other jazz legends.
Beryl Booker recorded as a leader for Victor (1945), SIW (1948), Mercury/EmArcy (1952), Discovery (1953), Vogue (with Don Byas) and Cadence (1954).
After another stint with Dinah Washington in 1959, she slipped into obscurity. In the 1970's she continued to play and record with small groups.
There are several unusual facets to Beryl Booker's work. Unlike many jazz soloists, she constantly retains a suggestion of the melody instead of adlibbing simply on the chords. There are also flashes of a rare sense of humor, reflecting her personality away from the keyboard. And often, very often there is a suggestion that her thinking is rooted in the blues.
© Kent Brown 2007 Source: Kent Brown
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The Outstanding Contributions of Beryl Booker
by Ava Louise
Beryl Booker was a highly respected and successful jazz musician, and she was outstanding in many progressive ways throughout her short career. Born in Philadelphia in 1922, Beryl was a largely self-taught musician and vocalist. She created a distinctive style of swing piano which was very bold and confident. Listening to her performances, one can feel the sincerity and emotion driving each piece. She had a keen sense of timing and used the shortening and lengthening of notes ...
read moreBeryl Booker: 1946-54
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JazzWax by Marc Myers
In the late 1940s and early 1950s, there were more women in jazz than is customarily known or documented. We tend to think of jazz as men's music, with a smattering of women functioning primarily as novelty acts. Men also thought that way back then, making life doubly difficult for female artists. The view was perhaps best summed up by manager Joe Glaser's comment: Who wants to come and hear three broads playing jazz?" [Photo above: Beryl Booker] Beyond Mary ...
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