Biography
Few instruments boast as devoted an advocate as the contrabass found in Bertram Turetzky, who once greeted a very young crowd at the Los Angeles Children’s Museum by declaring himself “the nicest man named Turetzky you’ll ever meet.” Bassists agree on a verifiable point rather than a myth: before Turetzky arrived, no dedicated solo repertoire existed for the instrument, leaving performers with little beyond cello transcriptions and similar adaptations. A virtuoso steeped in swing jazz, he methodically solicited and obtained dozens of new pieces written expressly for him, thereby establishing the solo contrabass literature known today. More than 300 works have been composed for, performed by, and documented by Turetzky, a tally few instrumentalists can equal. Although his calendar remained crowded with concerts, he devoted extensive energy to teaching. After earning a master’s degree in music history at the University of Hartford, he served for decades as senior professor of music at the University of California at San Diego. For more than thirty years he has also functioned as a sought-after clinician and pedagogue, conducting master classes, seminars, and workshops across the United States and abroad. Solo appearances have taken him throughout the United States, Europe, Latin America, and Australia. His scholarly work has earned praise in jazz history and eighteenth-century chamber music; he has published numerous reviews, articles, and the volume The Contemporary Contrabass—precisely the sort of book that would occupy every motel nightstand if bassists controlled the hospitality industry. The warm response to that text prompted his appointment as co-editor of the New Instrumentation Series issued by UC Press. Predictably, he has also issued original compositions, editions, transcriptions, and arrangements for the contrabass and has collected ASCAP awards, National Endowment for the Arts grants, and further commissions.
His initial sequence of solo bass recordings surfaced in the late 1960s. Those activities eventually led to sessions for Finnadar, where the label’s A&R director hesitated to approve a multi-tracked reading of Charles Mingus’s evocative “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat” until the composer himself assented. Mingus initially resisted, remarking, “What’s he doing playing it on the bass? It’s a saxophone piece,” yet reversed course after hearing the finished version. In later interviews the jazz figure proudly cited the recording as evidence that his music could thrive when interpreted by musicians outside the jazz idiom. Turetzky’s affinity for jazz ran deep; in his youth he frequented clubs and jammed with swing-era luminaries such as clarinetist Gene Sedric, featured on many of Fats Waller’s landmark dates. From the 1990s forward his work as an avant-garde free improviser grew markedly, encompassing performances and recordings alongside George Lewis, Vinny Golia, Wadada Leo Smith, and Barre Phillips. The Incus album Conversations, documenting duo improvisations with trombonist George Lewis, convinced many listeners of Turetzky’s stature as a spontaneous instrumentalist in the contemporary idiom. His spouse, flautist Nancy Turetzky, has served as a frequent collaborator on classical projects, among them an extensive set of radio recordings for the Australian Broadcast Network in the late 1970s. Despite his solo reputation, Turetzky insists on participating at every stratum of music-making. In the late 1990s he traveled to Mexico City simply to play in the orchestra rather than appear as soloist; when the conductor finally inquired why such a celebrated figure had joined the ranks, Turetzky replied, “Digging the hell out of the way you’re conducting this Beethoven.”
His initial sequence of solo bass recordings surfaced in the late 1960s. Those activities eventually led to sessions for Finnadar, where the label’s A&R director hesitated to approve a multi-tracked reading of Charles Mingus’s evocative “Goodbye Pork Pie Hat” until the composer himself assented. Mingus initially resisted, remarking, “What’s he doing playing it on the bass? It’s a saxophone piece,” yet reversed course after hearing the finished version. In later interviews the jazz figure proudly cited the recording as evidence that his music could thrive when interpreted by musicians outside the jazz idiom. Turetzky’s affinity for jazz ran deep; in his youth he frequented clubs and jammed with swing-era luminaries such as clarinetist Gene Sedric, featured on many of Fats Waller’s landmark dates. From the 1990s forward his work as an avant-garde free improviser grew markedly, encompassing performances and recordings alongside George Lewis, Vinny Golia, Wadada Leo Smith, and Barre Phillips. The Incus album Conversations, documenting duo improvisations with trombonist George Lewis, convinced many listeners of Turetzky’s stature as a spontaneous instrumentalist in the contemporary idiom. His spouse, flautist Nancy Turetzky, has served as a frequent collaborator on classical projects, among them an extensive set of radio recordings for the Australian Broadcast Network in the late 1970s. Despite his solo reputation, Turetzky insists on participating at every stratum of music-making. In the late 1990s he traveled to Mexico City simply to play in the orchestra rather than appear as soloist; when the conductor finally inquired why such a celebrated figure had joined the ranks, Turetzky replied, “Digging the hell out of the way you’re conducting this Beethoven.”
Albums
