Eddie Bert: Musician of the Year

Date:	Tuesday, May 31, 1955
Label/Number:	Savoy MG-12015
Personnel:	Eddie Bert (tb) Hank Jones (p) Wendell Marshall (b) Kenny Clarke (d)
Tracks:	Fragile / Stompin’ At The Savoy / I Should ‘A Said / See You Later / Three Bass Hit / What’d Ya Say / Billie’s Bounce
Location:	Hackensack
Producer:	Ozzie Cadena
Liner Notes:	Edward A. Jardin
Research Comments:	Eddie Bert missed out on the chance to make the first two-trombone recording with J.J. Johnson because he was under contract to Discovery Records, which went bankrupt shortly afterwards. Knowing Bert had written four tunes for two trombones in anticipation of the Johnson date, producer Ozzie Cadena asked if he now wanted to record them. Bert said “Yeah – who’ll be the other trombone?” Cadena said, “You.” Bert said, “How do you do that?” Cadena said, “Overdub.” Bert wound up overdubbing a second trombone part on the first four of these tracks. He recalls that, in a Leonard Feather Blindfold Test in Downbeat magazine later, Jimmy Cleveland listened to “Stompin’ at the Savoy” and said, “Oh, that’s Jay and Kai at their best.” The next time the two trombonists worked a big-band session together Bert told Cleveland, “Hey, man – thanks for the plug.”
Status Notes:
Sources:	Eddie Bert AJ-IJS CDJ