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. Self-taught on bass, Herbert is best-remembered for his stint as a member of Louis Armstrong's All-stars. Herbert served in the military from 1943 to 1946. After his discharge, he attended

Rutgers University Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's College, and was ...

(1949-1952). Herbert later began his professional musical career. He worked with

Marian McPartland Margaret Marian McPartland OBE ( Turner;Hasson, Claire"Marian McPartland: Jazz Pianist: An Overview of a Career" PhD Thesis. Retrieved 12 August 2008. 20 March 1918 – 20 August 2013), was an English–American jazz pianist, composer, and wri ...

Don Elliott Don Elliott Helfman (October 21, 1926 – July 5, 1984) was an American jazz trumpeter, vibraphonist, vocalist, and mellophone player. Elliott recorded over 60 albums and 5,000 advertising jingles throughout his career. Career Elliott played ...

, the

Sauter-Finegan Orchestra The Sauter-Finegan Orchestra was an American swing jazz band popular in the 1950s. The orchestra was led by Eddie Sauter and Bill Finegan, who were both experienced big band arrangers. Sauter played mellophone, trumpet, and drums, and had atten ...

band, and Sol Yaged from 1955 to 1958, and other swing and mainstream players, often appearing at the

Metropole A metropole (from the Greek ''metropolis'' for "mother city") is the homeland, central territory or the state exercising power over a colonial empire. From the 19th century, the English term ''metropole'' was mainly used in the scope of ...

. 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 documented in ''All of Me: The Complete Discography of Louis Armstrong''. After leaving Armstrong and his All–Stars, Mort mostly worked as a lawyer, playing music only 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 Joseph G. Glaser (December 17, 1896 – June 6, 1969) was an artist manager known for his involvement in the careers of jazz musicians, including Louis Armstrong and Billie Holiday. Biography Glaser was the son of a Chicago family of Russian Jewi ...

, Armstrong's agent denied the story. In 1979, Herbert defended Lionel Ray Williams for the murder of

Sal Mineo Salvatore Mineo Jr. (January 10, 1939 – February 12, 1976) was an American actor, singer, and director. He is best known for his role as John "Plato" Crawford in the drama film '' Rebel Without a Cause'' (1955), which earned him a nomination ...

. Williams was found guilty and sentenced to 57 years.

Death

Herbert died on June 5, 1983 in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

at the age of 57 from a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...

Discography

* ''Night People'' (1956) * ''The Great Summit'' (2001)

References

1925 births 1983 deaths Jazz double-bassists 20th-century American lawyers Musicians from Somerville, New Jersey 20th-century double-bassists {{US-jazz-musician-stub