Jazz in the Garden: Bertha Hope Quintet: Elmo Hope at 100
Bertha Hope, an iconic jazz pianist, was born in Los Angeles, CA. She began playing piano at the very early age of three. During this time, Bertha was taught by her parents, both of whom worked in the entertainment industry. When she began playing piano, Bertha played classical music, but eventually migrated to jazz music, particularly influenced by legendary jazz pianist, Bud Powell.
One of jazz’s living legends, pianist Bertha Hope has toured globally with artists like Nat Adderley, Dizzy Gillespie and Eddie Henderson, while being a respected educator and bandleader in her own right, with several albums under her leadership. She was bestowed with the National Jazz Museum in Harlem’s Legends of Jazz Award in 2018, and the Jazz Foundation of America’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2024. Lately she has been spotlighting the underappreciated songbook of her late husband, the inventive composer and pianist Elmo Hope.
Supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and by the Howard Gilman Foundation.
