Rob Perry, the face of Jazz Alley, soon to retire
from The Seattle Times:
“Rob is a jewel,” says longtime Seattle jazz patron David Marriott Sr. of Rob Perry, the svelte, silver-haired manager of Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley for the past 27 years. “After you come down those stairs, you know you’ve got a good friend there. He’s going to take care of you. He sets the tone.”
Perry, 60, the public face of Seattle’s signature jazz institution (the 32-year-old club is owned by John Dimitriou) is retiring at the end of July. For two generations of musicians and fans, saying goodbye will be like losing a familiar old friend.
“He’s going to be missed dearly,” says Dimitriou. “He was a great asset.”
As manager, Perry is not only the face at the bottom of the stairs. He manages 18 servers, five bussers and a front-of-house staff of 10, and oversees the kitchen and bar. It’s not a job for the faint of heart.
Perry started working for Dimitriou in 1984, back when the club was a casual joint in the University District and a manager was needed to run a second club in Pioneer Square. Perry thought his first night might be his last. Pianist Ahmad Jamal was the headliner.
Continue reading at The Seattle Times:
This April, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences announced the elimination of 31 Grammy Awards categories to widespread outcry. Locally, the disappearance of one class of category in particular —awards for Latin Jazz — has continued to draw ire from musicians. 
