Remembering Bill Berry

All of us at Jazz Night School are mourning the loss of our friend, fellow musician, and board member Bill Berry, who died March 31st after a short illness.

Bill made so many contributions to Jazz Night School – as an accomplished bassist in his ensembles; as Jazz Night School board vice president; as a trusted leadership advisor; and as a calm, smiling friend. Over the past year Bill had also drawn on his decades of experience in finance and investment banking to provide Jazz Night School with crucial guidance on an upcoming mission-critical project.

Jazz wasn’t just a hobby for Bill; it was more like a religion. His personal blog – www.postbop.com – and podcast – JazzChurch – live on.

“Bill left an imprint of joy and celebration everywhere that he went. I believe that he felt most alive when playing and sharing music,” one of his many friends offered. “I’m so grateful that he found Jazz Night School. He spoke often of how much it meant to him to connect with the community.” 

Bill, we wish we had many more years with you. We are in mourning. We thank you for everything you gave to all of us, including this piece of advice:

“Go to that jam session, because you never know when the next opportunity to play music with others will come around again.”

Bill’s final performance with Jazz Night School was March 18th at The Royal Room with the Jay Thomas combo, and he sounded great!