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Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular MusicA B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZBERRY, Chu(b Leon Berry, 13 September 1910, Wheeling WV; d 31 October 1941, Conneaut OH) Tenor sax; one of the finest tenors of the era dominated by the style of Coleman Hawkins. He played with Benny Carter, Teddy Hill; Fletcher Henderson '35-6; with Cab Calloway '37 till death in a car crash. He won polls in the late '30s; freelance records with Spike Hughes, own groups Stompy Stevadores '37 (with Hot Lips Page, Henderson on piano), his 'Little Jazz' Ensemble (with Roy Eldridge) '38 and Jazz Ensemble (with Page) '40, last two on Commodore; also duets with Charlie Ventura and rhythm '41 (now on Classics). Among many fine solos on records: 'Krazy Kapers' with the Chocolate Dandies '33; 'Christopher Columbus' with Henderson '36 (Berry listed as co-writer); 'Hot Mallets' and 'Shuffling At The Hollywood' with Lionel Hampton; 'Limehouse Blues' with Wingy Manone '39; 'Ghost Of A Chance' with Calloway '40 (a ballad treatment which saw him challenging Hawkins directly, less than a year before he was killed). A vinyl two-disc The Indispensable Chu Berry 1936-9 on French RCA included all 24 items with Manone, others with Henderson, Calloway, Hampton etc. Other compilations included Berry Story on EPM and Blowin' Up A Breeze on Pearl, then a bumper limited edition compilation of seven CDs from Mosaic, soon out of print. |