About Me
Saxophonist, composer, and educator Sean Berry is a transplant from Three Forks, WA, which was renamed Pullman in the late nineteenth century in a vain attempt to draw an investment from the inventor of the train sleeper car made famous by transporting the body of President Abraham Lincoln from Washington, D.C. to Springfield. Today, Pullman is a small college and farming community of about 25,000, nestled between the rolling hills of the Palouse region (the result of glacial activity from the last ice age). Home to the National Lentil Festival, Pullman is the largest city in Whitman County, where the nutrient-rich topsoil from centuries-old glacial silt deposits help to produce more wheat, barley, dry peas, and lentils than any other county in the United States. Despite its legacy as a farming community, however, the major industry in Pullman is education, due to the presence of Washington State University, the second-largest univeristy in the state. As one might expect, the influence of a major university supports an unusually thriving arts community for such a small city; just enough to make it a nearly utopian place to grow up, and a bit purgatorial for a professional musician. So, although he misses the somewhat more moderate climate, low crime rates, high education rates, low cost of living, fresh air, short commutes (12 minutes, on average!), and, of course, family, Sean has been performing and teaching in New England since 1998. Sean's interest in music began very early with exposure to his father's extensive record collection. It wasn't until he witnessed his first live jazz performance at the age of 15, however, that he knew he wanted to pursue the saxophone seriously. He was fortunate enough to find an excellent first teacher and dedicated mentor in Brent Jensen, a former student of the great Lee Konitz. After high school, Sean moved on to study with noted composer and saxophonist Gregory Yasinitsky at Washington State University. Recently, Sean completed his masters degree at the New England Conservatory of Music, where he studied with Danilo Pérez, Charlie Banacos, Jerry Bergonzi, John McNeil, Bob Moses, and Cecil McBee. Sean has performed with jazz greats such as James Williams, Clark Terry, Bobby Shew, Danilo Pérez, Oliver Lake, Frank Mantooth, Jim McNeely, Ingrid Jensen, Matt Wilson, Gary Burton, and Rebecca Paris, and maintains an active freelance schedule playing jazz, funk, rock, and blues. In addition to being a member of the Boston-based Chuck Gabriel Septet and the Makanda Project (along with local luminaries Charlie Kohlhase, Yoron Israel, and John Lockwood), Sean also performs regularly with his own trio and quartet, and maintains a large studio teaching woodwinds.-------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ -------------------------------PRAISE FOR SEAN BERRY:'...robust and brash... captivating... hard-blowing... raging... Berry blows with supreme assurance.' (Dan McClenaugham, AllThatJazz.com)---'Saxophonist Sean Berry has really come into his own. His sound on the tenor is full and round... fiery and imaginative... But it also has the right edge when needed...' (Alan Chase, The Wire)---'...a fine player who adds passion and texture.' (Judith Schlesinger, AllAboutJazz.com). I edited my profile with Thomas' Myspace Editor V4.1
