Eddie Bert

Bert is featured on hundreds of recordings and recorded extensively as a leader on

various labels including Savoy Records, Blue Note, Trans-World, Jazztone, and
Discovery Records. Bert continued to play sold-out shows until his death[1] at the
age of 90 on September 27, 2012 in Danbury, Connecticut.[2][3]

Bert recorded and performed with many bands and orchestras. He spent the most time
with Benny Goodman's Orchestra (1958–86), Charles Mingus (1955–74), The Thad
Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra (1968–72), New York Jazz Repertory Company (1973–78), The
American Jazz Orchestra (1986–92), Loren Schoenberg Orchestra (1986–2001), and Walt
Levinsky's Great American Swing Orchestra (1987–95).

Bert received a degree and a teaching license from the Manhattan School of Music
(1957). He taught at Essex College, University of Bridgeport, and Western
Connecticut State University.

His photography can be seen on Jazz Giants, To Bird with Love (Chan Parker and F.
Pandras), and The Band that Never Was (Spotlight Records, album cover and liner
notes).

Honors
Musician of the Year, Metronome magazine, 1955 [4]
Grammy for Musician of the Year, 1959
Honored at Town Hall, New York City, May 16, 2002
Honored at Jazz at the Kennedy Center with Billy Taylor, May 6, 2002
Rugers University Jazz Hall of Fame, 2009
Selected discography
As leader
1953 Kaleidoscope (Fresh Sound)
1953 Eddie Bert Quintet (Discovery)
1955 Musician of the Year (Savoy)
1955 Encore (Savoy)
1955 Montage (Savoy) - shared album with John Mehegan and Donald Byrd
1955 Modern Moods (Jazztone)
1955 Let's Dig Bert (Transworld) (Somerset 1958 as Like Cool)
1959 East Coast Sounds (Jazztone)
1976 Skeleton of the Band (Backbone)
1982 Kaleidoscope (Savoy Jazz reissue from 1950's)
1992 Live at Birdland (Fresh Sound)
1995 Human Factor (Fresh Sound)
1999 Live at Capozzoli's (Woofy)
2002 Walk on the Roots (Mothlight)
2004 I Hear Music (Fresh Sound)
2006 Crosstown (Fresh Sound (Savoy 1950's recordings)[5]
As sideman
With Coleman Hawkins
Timeless Jazz (Jazztone, 1954)
Accent on Tenor Sax (Urania, 1955)
With Stan Kenton

Stan Kenton's Milestones (Capitol)

Stan Kenton Classics
A Presentation of Progressive Jazz
Encores
Popular Favorites by Stan Kenton
The Kenton Era
With Charles Mingus
1955: Mingus at the Bohemia (Debut)
1955: The Charles Mingus Quintet & Max Roach (Debut)
1960: Pre Bird (Mercury (Verve subsidiary) (Limelight 1965 as Mingus Revisited)
1962: The Complete Town Hall Concert (Blue Note)
1972: Charles Mingus and Friends in Concert (Columbia)
With Gil Mellé

Gil Mellé Quintet/Sextet (Blue Note, 1953)

Patterns in Jazz (Blue Note, 1956)
With Thelonious Monk

1959: At Town Hall (OJC)

1963: Big Band and Quartet in Concert (Columbia)
With others

1938: Nuances by Norvo – Red Norvo (Hep, 1938–42)

1950: Cuban Blues: The Chico O'Farrill Sessions (Verve, 1950–54)
1954: Rugolomania (Columbia), New Sounds by Pete Rugolo (Harmony)
1955: Duke Jordan Trio and Quintet – Duke Jordan (Signal) (Savoy 1959)
1955: Kenny Clarke & Ernie Wilkins - the Kenny Clarke-Ernie Wilkins Septet (Savoy,
1955)
1956: Sounds by Socolow – Frank Socolow (Bethlehem)
1956: Metronome All-Stars 1956 (Verve)
1956: Drummer's Holiday – Louis Bellson (Verve)
1956: Jay and Kai + 6 – J.J. Johnson and Kai Winding (Columbia)
1956: Word from Bird – Teddy Charles (Atlantic)
1957: Chris Connor Sings the George Gershwin Almanac of Song (Atlantic)
1957: Jazz Concerto Grosso (ABC-Paramount) with Gerry Mulligan, Bob Brookmeyer
1958: Legrand Jazz – Michel Legrand (Philips)
1958: Porgy & Bess Revisited - Stewart-Williams & Co. (Warner Bros.)
1959: You and Lee – Lee Konitz (Verve)
1962: Bluesin' Around – Kenny Burrell (Columbia [1983])
1965: Mickey One – Stan Getz with the Eddie Sauter Orchestra (Verve)
1966: Brass on Fire – Manny Albam (Sold State)
1969: The Ballad of Jazz Street – Nat Pierce (Hep)
1973: I Want a Country Man − Dakota Staton (Groove Merchant)
1978: Starfingers - Sal Salvador (Bee Hive)
1980: Empire Jazz - Ron Carter (RSO)
1987: Central City Sketches – Benny Carter (MusicMasters)
1989: Live at Town Hall – Gene Harris (Concord)
1992: Little Man Big Band – Jimmy Heath (Verve)
1992: Harlem Renaissance – Benny Carter (MusicMasters)
1997: Out of this World – Loren Schoenberg (TCB)
1997: Monk on Monk - T. S. Monk (N2K)
1998: Contour – Larry Gillespie and the Manhattan Jazz Orchestra (Blue Lion)
1998: The Last Swing of the Century – Ken Peplowski (Concord, 1998)
Broadway shows and movies
Jam Session with Charlie Barnett (1943) (movie)
Bye Bye Birdie, 1960
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, 1961
Here's Love, 1963
Golden Boy, 1964
The Apple Tree, 1965
Golden Rainbow, 1968
The French Connection (1971) (movie)
Pippin, 1972–77
Ain't Misbehavin', 1978–82
Human Comedy, 1984–85
Uptown... It's Hot!, 1986
School Daze (1987) (movie)
References
Yanow, Scott (2000). Bebop. Miller Freeman Books. pp. 242–43. ISBN 0-87930-608-4.
Tamarkin, Jeff. "Jazz Articles: Trombonist Eddie Bert Dead at 90". Jazztimes.com.
Archived from the original on 2012-10-03. Retrieved 2012-09-30.
Keepnews, Peter (September 30, 2012). "Eddie Bert, Jazz Trombone Player, Dies at
90". The New York Times.
http://jazztimes.com/articles/19812-eddie-bert
"Eddie Bert | Album Discography | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
Sources
JazzWax, four-part interview with Eddie Bert in 2007. Additional parts are linked
above the red date at the top of Part 1.
Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2004). The Penguin Guide To Jazz on CD (7th ed.).
London: Penguin Books. ISBN 978-0141014166.