sgcim Posted February 8, 2013 Report Share Posted February 8, 2013 After reading someone describe Ed Bickert as a "snoozefest", I did a search here and found no thread for him. I could go on and on about his harmonic and melodic genius, and lack of BS in any of his solos, but if you can't hear it in this old video of him, nothing I say is going to matter: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim R Posted February 8, 2013 Report Share Posted February 8, 2013 I would have thought there was already a thread dedicated to him, but apparently not. Good- he deserves one. Understated mastery, complete command of his instrument, warmth, beauty, imagination, humor, never a wasted note or phrase... pure taste. Bickert is among the elite, and should not be missed. His recordings with Paul Desmond are probably my personal favorites. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Tapscott Posted February 8, 2013 Report Share Posted February 8, 2013 (edited) A wonderful player. I particularly like this recording, but there are many other good ones. Edited February 8, 2013 by John Tapscott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soulpope Posted February 8, 2013 Report Share Posted February 8, 2013 Paul Desmond Live 1975 A&M feat. Bickert-Thompson-Fuller......wonderfull !!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ted O'Reilly Posted February 8, 2013 Report Share Posted February 8, 2013 Ask any other guitarist about Ed. Or anyone who ever played with him. Or anyone who ever heard him, unless it was a 14-year-old garage band heavy metal rocker. In my 60+ years of listening, Ed Bickert is the most rewarding jazz guitarist I've ever heard. I've had the great joy of listening to him play hundreds and hundreds of times, and am proud to call him a friend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Friedman Posted February 8, 2013 Report Share Posted February 8, 2013 Ted is absolutely correct. As well as owning most of what Ed Bickert has recorded, I have been fortunate to have seen/heard him live many times. His playing is logical, has great depth and a delight for the ears. He was a truly marvelous guitar player. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
A Lark Ascending Posted February 8, 2013 Report Share Posted February 8, 2013 Paul Desmond Live 1975 A&M feat. Bickert-Thompson-Fuller......wonderfull !!!!!!! Indeed. The guitar is a high point. Someone I'd like to hear more of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B. Clugston Posted February 8, 2013 Report Share Posted February 8, 2013 He's a national treasure. The live quartet date with Paul Desmond is something special. He has no problem filling Brubeck's shoes on "Take Five." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim R Posted February 8, 2013 Report Share Posted February 8, 2013 Bickert is one of those players that truly strikes me as a great musician who happens to play the guitar. When I listen to him play, it's easy to close my eyes and forget what instrument he's using. Also, he's got that rare gift of maximizing the power of dynamics, and making a strong statement without "shouting". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Gould Posted February 8, 2013 Report Share Posted February 8, 2013 You guys are making me mighty curious about that Concord date with Scott Hamilton guesting. I've heard Bickert on some other Concord dates but not too many. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soulpope Posted February 8, 2013 Report Share Posted February 8, 2013 Paul Desmond Live 1975 A&M feat. Bickert-Thompson-Fuller......wonderfull !!!!!!! Indeed. The guitar is a high point. Someone I'd like to hear more of. here you go - another recording from this group via a performance @Edmonton Festival 1976 http://www.allmusic.com/album/edmonton-festival-1976-mw0001649234 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7/4 Posted February 8, 2013 Report Share Posted February 8, 2013 I dig Ed a lot, have a couple of albums. It's sad that he retired, but that's his option. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clunky Posted February 8, 2013 Report Share Posted February 8, 2013 Ask any other guitarist about Ed. Or anyone who ever played with him. Or anyone who ever heard him, unless it was a 14-year-old garage band heavy metal rocker. In my 60+ years of listening, Ed Bickert is the most rewarding jazz guitarist I've ever heard. I've had the great joy of listening to him play hundreds and hundreds of times, and am proud to call him a friend. I must play closer attention. I know I've got him as sideman on a number of discs but I can't recall what. I'll give it some thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgcim Posted February 9, 2013 Author Report Share Posted February 9, 2013 (edited) Ed just gave up when his wife died seven years ago. IMHO, his best LP was titled "Ed Bickert", a live trio date on Sackville Records with Don Thompspon and Terry Clarke. I think it might have come out on CD this year, but it was from the 1970s. Here he is on the street of dreams: Edited February 9, 2013 by sgcim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Al Posted February 9, 2013 Report Share Posted February 9, 2013 Only ever heard him on the Desmond dates and "snoozefest" is the furthest thing from my mind whenever I hear him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim R Posted February 9, 2013 Report Share Posted February 9, 2013 Only ever heard him on the Desmond dates... It was only one track, but you heard him some time ago (my 2003 blindfold test) doing "Sometime Ago", from his duet recording with pianist Bill Mays. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidewinder Posted February 9, 2013 Report Share Posted February 9, 2013 Two excellent guitarists I remember from my years in Toronto - Ed Bickert and Reg Schwager. Glad I was able to catch both of them ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ted O'Reilly Posted February 9, 2013 Report Share Posted February 9, 2013 A wonderful player. I particularly like this recording, but there are many other good ones. That album, like almost all of Ed's recordings for Concord, remain unissued on CD. What a crying shame! The bassist on this recording, Steve Wallace, has started writing a wide-ranging blog (today, it his tomato sauce recipe!) where he muses on "Jazz, Baseball, Life and Other Ephemera". http://wallacebass.com/ Steve has special insight into music, and is a keen (if modest) observer of what's happening on the bandstand, with the music AND the players. If any of you teach music, I'd have your students dip into Steve's jazz writing on that blog... Anyway, to this topic, here's his fine piece on Ed Bickert: http://wallacebass.com/?p=331 And as an extra free bonus gift at no charge, read this one, too: http://wallacebass.com/?m=201204 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim R Posted February 9, 2013 Report Share Posted February 9, 2013 Two excellent guitarists I remember from my years in Toronto - Ed Bickert and Reg Schwager. Glad I was able to catch both of them ! I've been a Reg Schwager fan since the 1980's, when word started to get around about him. He's one of the most versatile and gifted players in the world. Ted, I thought most of Ed's recordings on Concord had made it to CD at some point. This was my introduction to Bickert, and probably my favorite CTI recording: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgcim Posted February 9, 2013 Author Report Share Posted February 9, 2013 I've read that essay by Wallace before, and was impressed by his honesty. How often do you read or hear something from a musician admitting their weaknesses? His point about playing with musicians who seem incapable of playing BS, Bickert, Desmond, and others like Bill Evans, Don Joseph,Jimmy Raney etc... struck me as true, also. In a sense, it's a relief that there are no more players like that anymore; they're very intimidating. Everyone else is playing so much BS that they've just copied from records, that you don't have to worry about looking bad when you follow them! We should be thankful these geniuses are dead, and we should probably try to kill the few that remain! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7/4 Posted February 9, 2013 Report Share Posted February 9, 2013 I just bought a copy of Pure Desmond a few weeks ago! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjzee Posted February 9, 2013 Report Share Posted February 9, 2013 Paul Desmond Live 1975 A&M feat. Bickert-Thompson-Fuller......wonderfull !!!!!!! I think there were three albums from this engagement, two official and one shady: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ted O'Reilly Posted February 9, 2013 Report Share Posted February 9, 2013 I just bought a copy of Pure Desmond a few weeks ago! I think there have been a couple of issues of that. I hope you got the one with the 5 extra tracks -- three alts, two unissued. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7/4 Posted February 10, 2013 Report Share Posted February 10, 2013 I just bought a copy of Pure Desmond a few weeks ago! I think there have been a couple of issues of that. I hope you got the one with the 5 extra tracks -- three alts, two unissued. That's the one I have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robertoart Posted February 10, 2013 Report Share Posted February 10, 2013 After reading someone describe Ed Bickert as a "snoozefest", I did a search here and found no thread for him. I could go on and on about his harmonic and melodic genius, and lack of BS in any of his solos, but if you can't hear it in this old video of him, nothing I say is going to matter: That would be me. Yes Bickert is a great musician. No doubt. I think George Benson is a more important Jazz musician for a lot of reasons. I still prefer listening to Benson any day of the week. But Ed Bickert is a master at what he does. Glad you all have made that clear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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