Biography
A trumpet fanfare opens the call to board the Magical Mystery Tour, placing session trumpeter Bert Courtley in the footnotes of 1960s rock through his work on Beatles recordings. Like most brass players hired by the Fab Four, Courtley drew his experience from the established British trad jazz circuit. Throughout the 1940s he performed with every major British big band, fronted his own ensemble during the latter half of the 1950s, and closed the decade as a member of Woody Herman’s “Anglo-American” band.
He also ranked among the preferred players for television and radio sessions, where he thrived while improvising jazz themes in small- and medium-sized nightclub groups. One of those groups introduced him to saxophonist and bandleader Kathleen Stobart, who became his wife. Among his more compelling projects was the collaborative ensemble Jazz Today, which united Courtley with the younger, forward-looking trumpeter Kenny Wheeler and others; the group cut sides for the Nina label. Courtley further appeared with Don Rendell in the Jazz Six, an outfit that developed into the Jazz Committee.
He also ranked among the preferred players for television and radio sessions, where he thrived while improvising jazz themes in small- and medium-sized nightclub groups. One of those groups introduced him to saxophonist and bandleader Kathleen Stobart, who became his wife. Among his more compelling projects was the collaborative ensemble Jazz Today, which united Courtley with the younger, forward-looking trumpeter Kenny Wheeler and others; the group cut sides for the Nina label. Courtley further appeared with Don Rendell in the Jazz Six, an outfit that developed into the Jazz Committee.