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A premier bassist of the postwar era,
Jack Lesberg's rock-solid and versatile playing supported a who's-who of jazz giants including
Louis Armstrong,
Benny Goodman, and
Billie Holiday. In addition, he served a lengthy tenure with the New York City Symphony Orchestra under conductor
Leonard Bernstein. Born in Boston on Valentine's Day, 1920,
Lesberg first studied violin and earned notoriety on the Beantown club scene. He moved permanently to double bass in the late 1930s and landed with
Muggsy Spanier's band in 1940. After surviving the November 28, 1942 nightclub fire that killed 492 patrons at Boston's Coconut Grove,
Lesberg relocated to New York in 1943 and hired on with
Eddie Condon the following year. In 1945, he began a three-year stint under
Bernstein, concurrently studying under double bass master
Fred Zimmerman and playing on record with everyone from
Coleman Hawkins to
Sarah Vaughan (her first studio date, no less). During this busy time,
Lesberg also began playing with
Louis Armstrong, a collaboration inaugurated in 1947 and resumed often in the years to follow. After parting ways with
Bernstein,
Lesberg backed
Sidney Bechet,
Tommy Dorsey,
Kai Winding and
Jimmy McPartland. In 1956, he toured Australia, England and Africa behind
Armstrong and the following year he supported
Jack Teagarden and
Earl Hines during their trek across Europe. After spending the late 1950s backing
Billy Butterfield,
Lesberg spent much of the early 1960s overseas, touring Europe with
Georgie Auld and
Doc Severinsen in 1962. A Pacific jaunt with
Condon followed in 1964 as did a 1965 Icelandic tour with
Armstrong. Gigs with
Urbie Green,
Bobby Hackett and
Joe Venuti preceded
Lesberg's 1970 decision to relocate to Australia, where he spent four years with
the Sydney Symphony. Upon returning stateside,
Lesberg recorded for Famous Door in 1977. He toured Europe several more times during the 1980s with the Tribute to Louis Armstrong group and served in 1986 with
Goodman's last band, but his pace slowed in the years to follow. After a long bout with Alzheimer's disease,
Lesberg died at a convalescent home in Englewood, New Jersey on September 17, 2005. ~ Jason Ankeny