Eddie Bert

Eddie Bert sustained an extended presence across jazz performance and studio recording, remaining largely overlooked outside the circle of his professional peers. Equally adept as a supple and inventive soloist, he contributed dependably within larger ensembles while operating mostly out of the spotlight. His earliest guidance on the trombone came from Benny Morton and Trummy Young. At eighteen he entered Sam Donahue’s orchestra in 1940; two years afterward he took his initial recorded solo on Red Norvo’s version of “Jersey Bounce.” Subsequent engagements placed him in Charlie Barnet’s band during 1943 and alongside Woody Herman, after which he appeared prominently in a well-documented 1944 Town Hall concert with Norvo. Following military service, he spent the ensuing ten years moving among Herbie Fields, Stan Kenton’s orchestra (1947–1948 and 1950–1951), Benny Goodman (1948–1949), Herman once more, and Les Elgart. Between 1952 and 1955 he led several sessions for Discovery, Savoy, Jazztone, and Trans-World, revealing a personable bop-rooted approach in smaller settings. Late in 1955 he joined and recorded with Charles Mingus, returned to Goodman’s ranks in 1957, participated in the orchestral frameworks of the Miles Davis–Gil Evans collaborations, and appeared with Thelonious Monk during the celebrated large-ensemble concerts of 1959 and 1963. Beyond heavy studio commitments, Bert maintained ties with Elliot Lawrence, Chubby Jackson, and Mingus; he served in Dick Cavett’s television orchestra from 1968 to 1972 and traveled through Europe with the Thad Jones–Mel Lewis Orchestra. He directed a little-noted date for Denmark’s Backbone label in 1976 and later supervised projects for Molshajala (a duo recording with bassist Steve Roane), Keybone, and Fresh Sound in 1987, while also contributing as a sideman to dates led by Lionel Hampton, Sal Salvador, and Teo Macero. In 1997 Bert joined T.S. Monk’s Monk on Monk tour. He passed away at his residence in Danbury, Connecticut, during September 2012 at the age of ninety.