Like Cool: The Contemporary Trombone of Eddie Bert (Remastered from the Original Somerset Tapes) Eddie Bert

• 1 I'm Thru with Love 03:43
• 2 The Blue Beetle 07:17
• 3 In a Meditating Mood 03:06
• 4 Father Time 05:40
• 5 Cool School Days 04:36
• 6 Pennies from Heaven 05:25
• 7 Home Cookin' 04:51
• 8 Speedster 04:41
• Total Runtime 39:19

Info for Like Cool: The Contemporary Trombone of Eddie Bert (Remastered from the Original Somerset Tapes)

A nice little album that features some of Eddie Bert's best work as a leader – a set with some sharp modern tones and a very cool feel overall! The outing's a strong small combo one – with Bert in lead on trombone, plus tenor by Dave Schildkraut, guitar by Barry Gailbraith, piano by Hank Jones, and drums by Osie Johnson. Tracks are more open than you'd expect – with lots of great blowing by Bert in that dark moody mode he worked on with Mingus. Schildkraut's sax is very nice, too – and tracks include "Blue Beetle Original", "Father Time", "Cool School Days", "Home Cookin", and "Speedster".

Eddie Bert, trombone
Dave Schildkraut, tenor saxophone
Barry Galbraith, guitar
Hank Jones, piano
Clyde Lombardi, bass
Osie Johnson, drums

Digitally remastered

Eddie Bert
had a long career in jazz and in the studios, managing to go almost unnoticed by all but his fellow musicians. A fine and flexible soloist, Bert also played a large part behind the scenes, performing his parts quite capably in orchestras. Among his early teachers were fellow trombonists Benny Morton and Trummy Young. In 1940, when he was 18, Bert joined Sam Donahue's Orchestra, and two years later cut his first solo on record, "Jersey Bounce," with Red Norvo's band. Bert gigged with the orchestras of Charlie Barnet (1943) and Woody Herman, performed at a well-recorded Town Hall concert with Norvo in 1944, where he was extensively featured and, after a stint in the military, he worked during the next decade with such orchestras as Herbie Fields, Stan Kenton (1947-1948 and 1950-1951), Benny Goodman (1948-1949), Woody Herman again, and Les Elgart. From 1952-1955, Bert recorded several dates as a leader for Discovery, Savoy, Jazztone, and Trans-World, showing that he could be a personable bop-based improviser in small groups, too. He worked and recorded with Charles Mingus in late 1955, rejoined Goodman in 1957, was part of the ensembles on the various Miles Davis/Gil Evans projects, and performed with Thelonious Monk at his famed big band concerts of 1959 and 1963. In addition to his extensive studio work, Bert was associated with Elliot Lawrence, Chubby Jackson, and again with Mingus; he was part of Dick Cavett's TV big band from 1968-1972 and toured Europe with the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra. In 1976, he led an obscure effort for the Danish Backbone label and later headed sessions for Molshajala (a duo album with bassist Steve Roane), Keybone, and Fresh Sound (1987), in addition to recording as a sideman with Lionel Hampton, Sal Salvador, and Teo Macero, among others. In 1997, Eddie Bert toured with T.S. Monk's Monk on Monk ensemble. Bert died at his home in Danbury, Connecticut, in September 2012; he was 90 years old. (Scott Yanow, AMG)

This album contains no booklet.