Mort Herbert
Mort Herbert (June 30, 1925 – June 5, 1983) was an American jazz bassist and lawyer.
Life
Herbert was born Mort Pelovitz on June 30, 1925 in Somerville, New Jersey.[1] Mort is best-remembered for his stint as a member of Louis Armstrong's All-stars. Herbert was self-taught on bass, Mort spent time in the military from 1943 to 1946. After his discharge he attended Rutgers University (1949-1952). Mort later began his professional career. He worked with Marian McPartland, Don Elliott, the Sauter-Finegan Orchestra band, and Sol Yaged from 1955 to 1958, and other swing and mainstream players, often appearing at the Metropole. Herbert toured the world with Armstrong during 1958 to 1961, appearing on a number of records and film sound tracks and mostly functioning as a supporting player. His contributions are thoroughly docmented in All of Me: The Complete Discography of Louis Armstrong. After leaving Armstrong and his All–Stars, Mort mostly worked as a lawyer, just playing music on a part-time basis (including with Herb Ellis). He led an album, Night People, for Savoy in 1956.
In 1959 Herbert, a Jew, apparently had difficulty obtaining a visa for Lebanon, to tour there with Armstrong. Joe Glaser, Armstrong's agent denied the story.[2]
In 1979 Herbert defended Lionel Ray Williams for the murder of Sal Mineo. Williams was found guilty and sentenced to 57 years.[3]
Death
Herbert died on June 5, 1983 in Los Angeles, California at the age of 57 from a heart attack.
Discography
- Night People (1956)
- The Great Summit (2001)
See also
References
- ^ Joseph F. Clarke (1977). Pseudonyms. BCA. p. 83.
- ^ Johnson Publishing Company (21 May 1959). Jet. Johnson Publishing Company. pp. 62–. ISSN 0021-5996.
- ^ H. Paul Jeffers (1 March 2001). Sal Mineo: His Life, Murder, and Mystery. Thorndike Press. ISBN 978-0-7862-3167-6.
External links
 | This article about a jazz musician is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |