Ed Bickert facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ed Bickert
Bickert in 1989
Background information
Birth name	Edward Isaac Bickert
Born	(1932-11-29)November 29, 1932 Hochfeld, Manitoba, Canada
Died	February 28, 2019(2019-02-28) (aged 86) Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Genres	Jazz
Occupation(s)	Musician
Instruments	Guitar
Labels	Sackville, Concord Jazz, PM, Unisson, Cornerstone Records
Associated acts	Moe Koffman, Boss Brass, Lorne Lofsky, Paul Desmond

Edward Isaac Bickert (November 29, 1932 – February 28, 2019) was a famous Canadian jazz guitarist. He played a style of music called mainstream jazz and swing. Bickert worked as a professional musician from the mid-1950s until 2000. He mostly played in the Toronto area. His fame grew around the world from the mid-1970s. He made many albums, both as a band leader and playing with other artists. He toured in North America, Europe, and Japan.

Early Life and Musical Start

Ed Bickert was born in a small village in Manitoba, Canada. His parents were musicians. His father played the fiddle, and his mother played the piano. When Ed was young, his family moved to Vernon, British Columbia. His parents ran a chicken farm there. They also had a small country dance band.

When Ed was ten, he started playing his older brother's guitar. Soon, he was performing at dances with his parents. In his late teens, he worked as a sound engineer at a radio station. In 1952, Ed moved to Toronto. He wanted to become a full-time musician. He worked as a sound engineer again to support himself. At first, he felt he wasn't good enough to play with Toronto's musicians. But slowly, he started playing music again.

Becoming a Jazz Star

Joining the Toronto Jazz Scene (1952–1957)

In 1955, saxophonist Jimmy Amaro Sr. asked Ed to join his band. Ed felt ready to quit his radio job. He decided to make music his main career. By 1957, Ed was part of two local jazz groups. One was led by saxophonist Moe Koffman. The other was led by clarinetist Phil Nimmons.

Ed played on Koffman's famous song, "Swinging Shepherd Blues." This song became a hit in North America in 1958. With Phil Nimmons, Ed played regularly on CBC radio. He also appeared on records released around the world.

Studio Work and The Boss Brass (1958–early 1970s)

By the late 1950s, Ed Bickert was a busy studio musician in Toronto. This means he played guitar for many different recordings. He recorded music for commercials and jazz sessions. His work for radio and TV grew during the 1960s. He also kept playing jazz shows at night.

During these years, Ed started working with Rob McConnell. He also played with many other Toronto jazz musicians. These musicians later formed a big band called The Boss Brass. The Boss Brass was a part-time band led by Rob McConnell for over thirty years. They first started in 1968. They recorded pop music for radio and easy listening albums. By 1976, The Boss Brass became a modern jazz big band. They played in jazz clubs and at festivals in Canada. Ed played and recorded with them until 1998. He appeared on more than 15 of their jazz albums. He also played on most of their early commercial recordings.

Playing with Paul Desmond

In the early 1970s, Ed Bickert often played with bassist Don Thompson and drummer Terry Clarke. They were the house band at a Toronto nightclub called Bourbon Street. Famous American jazz musicians would come and play with them. In June 1974, alto saxophonist Paul Desmond played there for two weeks. Desmond was part of the famous Dave Brubeck Quartet. He really liked playing with Ed, Don, and Terry.

Desmond liked them so much that he booked two more shows for the next year. In September 1974, Desmond asked Ed to come to the United States. They recorded an album called Pure Desmond. This album showed off Ed's amazing guitar playing. Paul Desmond even said, "I consider it Ed’s album, really." Ed played with Desmond several more times. Sadly, Paul Desmond passed away in 1977.

Ed Bickert also played with many other jazz stars at Bourbon Street. These included Zoot Sims, Art Farmer, and Milt Jackson.

Starting a Solo Career (1975–1981)

In 1975, Ed Bickert recorded his first album as a leader. It was a live recording with Don Thompson and Terry Clarke. He also recorded a studio album in 1976. Ed was known for not being an "aggressive" bandleader. He preferred playing with others.

Ed also recorded albums as a duo with Don Thompson. The Ed Bickert Trio played as the backing band for other musicians. As his jazz career grew, Ed's commercial studio work slowed down. He wasn't as interested in the new pop and rock guitar styles. He said it was a "mutual parting" from that kind of work.

Most of Ed's career was spent playing as a backing musician in Toronto. He did record many albums as a leader from 1975 to 1999. But he didn't often tour as a bandleader. He did go on short tours outside Canada sometimes. He played with groups like The Concord All-Stars. He also toured with Paul Desmond, Milt Jackson, and Rosemary Clooney. He played in the United States, Europe, and Japan.

Later Years and Retirement (1982–2000)

By 1982, Ed Bickert signed a record deal with Concord Jazz. He recorded nine albums as a leader or co-leader for them. He also played on albums for other artists on the label. These included Benny Carter and Rosemary Clooney. Ed played on five of Rosemary Clooney's albums. They even recorded nine songs as guitar and vocal duets.

In the 1990s, Ed started to slow down his recording and performing. He didn't make any solo albums after 1989. But he kept recording with The Boss Brass and other groups. He also played on albums for singers Trudy Desmond and Shirley Eikhard. His last small-group jazz recordings were in 1999.

Retirement

In 1995, Ed Bickert broke bones in both arms after slipping on ice. This stopped him from playing music for a few months. In 2000, his wife Madeline passed away. At 67 years old, Ed decided to retire completely from music.

Personal Life

Ed Bickert married Madeline Mulholland in the early 1960s. They had four children together. They were married until Madeline's death in 2000. Ed Bickert passed away from cancer in 2019.

Musical Style

Ed Bickert was a mainstream jazz musician. He was very good at playing jazz standards. These are popular songs from the Great American Songbook. He also played instrumental songs from the swing era. Sometimes, he would play songs from the bebop and hard bop styles of jazz.

Ed was known for knowing many older, less common pop songs. On his own albums, he recorded songs like "I'll Wait and Pray" and "Maybe You'll Be There." He usually did not play modal jazz or jazz fusion. These styles were popular during his career in the 1970s and 1980s.

Many musicians and writers praised Ed's ability to accompany a soloist. This means he was excellent at playing chords and rhythms behind another musician. Jazz journalist Mark Miller said, "The Bickert identity lies in the chords that he plays." Musician Don Thompson said Ed's chords were "perfection all the time."

Ed's solos were often described as melodic and graceful. They were full of smooth movements and bluesy sounds.

His Special Guitar

Most jazz guitarists used hollow or semi-hollow electric guitars. But Ed Bickert was special because he used a solid-body electric guitar. This type of guitar was mostly used for rock, blues, and country music back then. At the start of his career, Ed played hollow-bodied guitars. But he switched to a Fender Telecaster in the mid-1960s.

He found the Telecaster to be strong and easy to use for live shows. Solid-body guitars are less likely to go out of tune. They are also less likely to get damaged by temperature changes. They also don't have unwanted audio feedback. Ed liked that he could carry his guitar in a light gig bag without worrying about damage. In 1978, he changed one part of his guitar. He put a Gibson humbucker pickup in the neck position. This was the only big change he made to it.

Ed could play his Telecaster in many different musical settings. He played it with big bands and in small jazz groups. The solid-body guitar helped him make notes and chords last longer. Bassist Don Thompson said the Telecaster was key to Ed's sound. He said it made his chords sound "dark" and "bigger than they were." Guitarist Lorne Lofsky said Ed's guitar sound was "very different." He even thought it sounded like an electric piano playing chords.

Even though his Telecaster sound was praised, Ed himself wasn't always happy with it. But he recorded almost all his music with the Telecaster. This included all his albums as a leader.

Awards and Honors

• Juno Award for Best Jazz Recording, Sackville 4005 with Don Thompson, 1980
• Juno Award for Best Traditional Jazz Album - Instrumental, Live at the Senator with Mike Murley and Steve Wallace, 2002
• Juno Award for Best Traditional Jazz Album, Test of Time with Mike Murley and Steve Wallace, 2013
• Member of the Order of Canada, 1996

Discography

As leader or co-leader

• 1976 - Ed Bickert (PM)
• 1976 - Out of the Past (first released in 2006 on Sackville)
• 1977 - I Like to Recognize the Tune (Canadian Talent Library/United Artists)
• 1978 - Ed Bickert/Don Thompson - (Sackville, reissued in 2004 on CD with 4 bonus tracks as At the Garden Party)
• 1979 - Jazz Canada Europe '79 - Ed Bickert Trio; 1 LP in 4-LP boxed set (Radio Canada International) (reissued as part of The Guitar Mastery Of Ed Bickert, Unidisc, 1996)
• 1979 - Days Gone By - Sonny Greenwich and Ed Bickert Quartet (first released in 2000) (Sackville)
• 1980 - Dance to the Lady - Don Thompson and Ed Bickert (piano / guitar duets) (Sackville)
• 1983 - At Toronto's Bourbon Street - The Ed Bickert 5 feat. Scott Hamilton and Warren Vaché (Concord Jazz)
• 1984 - Bye Bye Baby - Ed Bickert Quartet featuring Dave McKenna (Concord Jazz)
• 1984 - Mutual Street - duets with Rob McConnell (Innovation, reissued in 1993 by Jazz Alliance/Concord)
• 1985 - I Wished On The Moon - Ed Bickert Quartet featuring Rick Wilkins (Concord Jazz)
• 1985 - The Quartet Of Lorne Lofsky & Ed Bickert And Friends - Lorne Lofsky and Ed Bickert (Unisson, reissued in 2022 by Cornerstone Records)
• 1989 - Third Floor Richard - Ed Bickert Trio with special guest Dave McKenna (Concord Jazz)
• 1990 - This is New - Ed Bickert/Lorne Lofsky Quartet (Concord Jazz)
• 1994 - Trio Sketches - with Rob McConnell, Neil Swainson (Concord Jazz)
• 1994 - Concord Duo Series Volume 7 - with Bill Mays (Concord Jazz)
• 1997 - Three for the Road - with Rob McConnell, Don Thompson (Concord Jazz)
• 1999 - Test of Time with Mike Murley, Steve Wallace (first released in 2012) (Cornerstone Records)
• 2000 - Live at the Senator with Mike Murley, Steve Wallace (Cornerstone Records)

With Paul Desmond

• 1974 - Pure Desmond (CTI)
• 1975 - Live (A&M/Horizon)
• 1975 - Paul Desmond (Artists House, released 1978)
• 1975 - Like Someone in Love (Telarc, released 1992)
• 1975 - The Complete 1975 Toronto Recordings (Mosaic, released 2020, includes all of Live, Paul Desmond, and Like Someone in Love, plus previously unreleased music)
• 1976 - Edmonton Festival '76 (Gambit, released 2008)

With Rosemary Clooney

• 1983 - Rosemary Clooney Sings the Music of Harold Arlen (Concord)
• 1984 - Rosemary Clooney Sings the Music of Irving Berlin (Concord)
• 1985 - Rosemary Clooney Sings Ballads (Concord)
• 1986 - Rosemary Clooney Sings the Music of Jimmy Van Heusen (Concord)
• 1987 - Rosemary Clooney Sings the Lyrics of Johnny Mercer (Concord)

Selected appearances as backing musician

• 1957 - Cool And Hot Sax - Moe Koffman (Jubilee Records)
• 1960 - Phil Nimmons and Nine - Phil Nimmons (Verve)
• 1963 - Take Ten - Phil Nimmons Group (RCA)
• 1964 - Mary Poppins Swings - Phil Nimmons Group (RCA)
• 1976 - Thinking of You - Frank Rosolino (Sackville)
• 1979 - Ruby Braff With The Ed Bickert Trio - Ruby Braff (Sackville)
• 1981 - The Ballad Artistry of Buddy Tate - Buddy Tate with The Ed Bickert Trio (Sackville)
• 1983 - Humphrey Lyttelton in Canada - Humphrey Lyttelton with The Ed Bickert Trio (Sackville)
• 1985 - Old Friends/New Music - Rob McConnell Sextet (Unisson)
• 1985 - Jazz Prose - Fraser MacPherson Quintet (Concord)
• 1985 - A Gentleman and His Music - Benny Carter (Concord)
• 1985 - Night Flight - Sammy Nestico (Sea Breeze)
• 1985 - With a Song in My Heart - Jane Hall with Ed Bickert (ArtistShare, first released 2017)
• 1987 - Double Exposure - Ken Peplowski (Concord Records)
• 1988 - Oop-Pop-A-Da - Moe Koffman feat. Dizzy Gillespie (Soundwing)
• 1990 - The Jive 5 - Rob McConnell (Concord)
• 1993 - East-West - Barry Elmes (Cornerstone Records)
• 1994 - Jamie Mitges and the Jazz Legends - Jamie Mitges Quintet (self-published/RDR Music Group)
• 1997 - Different Voices - Barry Elmes (Cornerstone Records)

Selected albums with the Boss Brass

• 1976 - The Jazz Album (Attic)
• 1977 - Big Band Jazz (Umbrella)
• 1978 - Again! (Umbrella)
• 1980 - Present Perfect (MPS)
• 1981 - Tribute (Pausa)
• 1981 - Live in Digital (Palo Alto)
• 1983 - All in Good Time (Sea Breeze/Palo Alto, 1982)
• 1985 - Atras Da Porta (Innovation)
• 1985 - Boss Brass and Woods (Innovation)
• 1991 - The Brass Is Back (Concord)
• 1992 - Brassy and Sassy (Concord)
• 1993 - Our 25th Year (Concord)
• 1994 - Overtime (Concord)
• 1995 - Don't Get Around Much Anymore (Concord)
• 1996 - Even Canadians Get the Blues (Concord)
• 1997 - Rob McConnell and the Boss Brass Play the Jazz Classics (Concord)
• 1998 - Big Band Christmas (Concord)

See The Boss Brass for more information.