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Ed Bickert
Edward Isaac Bickert, CM (born November 29, 1932) is a Canadian jazz
Ed Bickert
guitarist.

Contents
Early life
Career
Awards
Discography
As leader or co-leader
As sideman
References
External links

Early life Ed Bickert and Fraser MacPherson

Bickert was born in Hochfeld, Manitoba, the second youngest of his family. Photo courtesy of the Fraser
Soon after he was born, the family moved to Vernon, British Columbia. MacPherson estate
Although their occupation was farming and orchard work, his mother was Background information
a pianist and his father a fiddler. Bickert learned basic guitar chords from
Birth name Edward Isaac
his older brother. On weekends during the 1940s he joined his parents
Bickert
playing at country dances. After high school, he worked briefly before
Born November 29,
driving across Canada to Toronto, Ontario with an aspiring writer friend, in
1932
1952. After a few non-paying jobs and formal guitar lessons, he became the
Hochfeld,
guitar player for one of the leading jazz groups in Toronto.
Manitoba,
Canada
Career Genres Jazz
By the sixties, he was a first-call studio musician. Notable for his long Occupation(s) Musician
association with the late Moe Koffman and Phil Nimmons' recordings,
Instruments Guitar
Bickert became a charter member of Rob McConnell's Boss Brass. He also
played in local gigs with American musicians who employed Toronto Associated acts Moe Koffman,
rhythm sections. He played regularly at George's Spaghetti House with Boss Brass
fellow members of Moe Koffman's band, with and without Koffman.
Bickert married, and eschewing the road, stayed at home and raised a family.

In the 1970s Jim Hall, a friend of Bickert, recommended him to Paul Desmond, who was forming a band. Desmond
felt a rapport with Bickert and Don Thompson. They appeared at the now-defunct Bourbon Street club in Toronto,
with two different drummers. Recordings from those sessions were released as Paul Desmond Quartet Live in LP
format by A&M Records. Additional tracks were released much later on CD by Telarc. Desmond's enthusiasm for
Bickert's style persuaded him to record with Bickert in the United States at Rudy Van Gelder's studio. They played
with Connie Kay (drums) and Ron Carter (bass) and recorded the album Pure Desmond.

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Bickert's use of the solid-body Fender Telecaster set him apart from his peers. He used the same Telecaster for many
years, playing it in stock form. At some point, he replaced the standard neck single coil with a humbucking pickup
(which can be seen in the photo above).

Bickert made a few albums with Rosemary Clooney and other well-known artists through the 1980s and 1990s, as well
as leading his own sessions. Although he did not formally teach students in one-on-one lessons, he was a well-known
clinician and had many aspiring players attend his workshops. In the mid 1990s, a fall caused serious injuries to his
arms. He recovered, and continued to play and tour until his retirement in the early 2000s, after the death of his wife,
Madeline.

Awards
1980: Juno Award for Contemporary Jazz Album of the Year, Sackville 4005 with Don Thompson
19xx: Juno Award, This is New, with Lorne Lofsky
1996: Member of the Order of Canada

Discography

As leader or co-leader
I Like to Recognize the Tune (UALA, 1977)
Ed Bickert (PM, 1978)
Ed Bickert/Don Thompson (Sackville, 1979)
Ed Bickert/Don Thompson: Dance to the Lady (Sackville, 1983)
Ed Bickert 5 at Toronto's Bourbon Street (Concord, 1983)
Bye Bye Baby (Concord, 1984)
Mutual Street with Rob McConnell (Concord, 1984)
I Wished On the Moon (Concord, 1985)
The Quartet of Lorne Lofsky and Friends (Unisson, 1985)
Third Floor Richard (Concord, 1989)
This is New with Lorne Lofsky (Concord, 1990)
Trio Sketches with Rob McConnell and Neil Swainson (Concord, 1991)
Billy Mays/Ed Bickert (Concord, 1994)
The Guitar Mastery of Ed Bickert (DSM, 1996)
Three for the Road with Rob McConnell and Don Thompson (Concord, 1997)
Murley, Bickert & Wallace: Live at the Senator (Cornerstone, 2000)
At the Garden Party with Don Thompson (Sackville, 2002)
At Last (PM, 2005)[1]
Murley, Bickert & Wallace: Test of Time (2012)

As sideman
With the Ron Collier Orchestra featuring Duke Ellington

North of the Border in Canada (Decca, 1967 [1969])

With Paul Desmond

Pure Desmond (CTI, 1975)

Paul Desmond Quartet Live (Horizon, 1975)

References
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1. Barth, Joe (2006). Voices in Jazz Guitar. Pacific, Missouri: Mel Bay. p. 65. ISBN 9780786676798.

External links
Ed Bickert biography with licks and transcriptions (http://www.jazzguitarlessons.net/ed-bickert.html)
Sardine's bio page (http://members.tripod.com/~sardine/bickertbio.html)
Ed Bickert profile with transcriptions (http://guitar.about.com/od/jazzguitarsites/ss/ed-bickert-jazz-guitar.htm)

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This page was last edited on 19 January 2018, at 01:55.

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