Su Terry (aka "Sweet" Su Terry) has been hailed as a "Superwoman of Jazz" (Hartford Courant) and a "forward voice in modern music" (Saxophone Journal).
Ms. Terry has performed and recorded with a long list of jazz VIPs, including Charli Persip, Clifford Jordan, Walter Bishop, Jr., Jaki Byard, Dr. Billy Taylor, Clark Terry, Rachel Z, Al Jarreau, Melba Liston, Chaka Khan, George Duke, Barry Harris, Phil Woods, Hilton Ruiz, Irene Reid, Dr. John, Teri Thornton, Mike Longo, Howard Johnson, Clarice Assad, Art Blakey, Carmen McRae, Jon Faddis, Lew Tabackin, Lew Soloff, Luiz Simas, Ray Barretto, Michael Jefry Stephens, Tim Price, and Peggy Stern.
She's been a jazz soloist with the National Symphony under Marin Alsop, the Brooklyn Philharmonic under Coleridge Taylor Perkinson, the Hartford Symphony under Gene Bozzi, the Sinfónica Cuenca under Michael Meissner and Augusto Carrión, and the Florida Pops and New York Pops Orchestras under Skitch Henderson.
International jazz festival appearances include Montreux, Nice, Pori, Northsea, Montreal, Quito, Trave, Ottawa, and more. She has appeared at clubs throughout North and South America, Europe, and Japan. In the States she's performed everywhere from Carnegie Hall in New York to the Playboy Jazz Festival at the Hollywood Bowl.
She received the Hartt School's first degree ever awarded in jazz performance, and in 2001 was named Alumna of the Year.
Ms. Terry's discography contains over seventy recordings as a leader and featured soloist. Passionate about passing on her knowledge to students and colleagues, she conducts frequent masterclasses and workshops. She has been Artist in Residence at the Jazz Society of Ecuador since 2012. In July 2013 her group toured Ecuador for the U.S. Dept. of State. She founded the Cuenca Jazz Academy and is on the faculty of Taller Encuentro in Quito. She is the author of Practice Like The Pros and three other instructional books. She is the author of two non-fiction books, Inside the Mind of a Musician and For The Curious, and an illustrated novel, I Was a Jazz Musician for the FBI. Ms. Terry is the lead columnist for The Note.
She is also a longtime practitioner of the martial art of Taijiquan and holds nine USKSF championship tournament gold medals.
More information can be found in the books Reed All About It by Bob Bernotas, Madame Jazz by Leslie Gourse, Experiencing Jazz by Michael Stephans, Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD; All Music Guide to Jazz; and on Ms. Terry’s website. She publishes weekly articles and podcasts on Substack, and her recordings can be found on Bandcamp.
Su Terry is a Yamaha Saxophone Artist and plays Jody Jazz mouthpieces and ligatures and Légère reeds.
