Artie Bernstein

Arthur Bernstein (February 4, 1909 – January 4, 1964) was an American jazz double bassist.

Born in Brooklyn, New York, he started his musical career playing cello on board cruise ships to South America, and also studied law at New York University. However, by 1929 he had started playing bass, and began performing in clubs around New York City. He performed with trumpeter Red Nichols, Red Norvo, Kay Thompson, Lou Bring, Ziggy Elman, The Boswell Sisters, and others, and recorded with Ben Pollack, Jimmy and Tommy Dorsey, and many others in the 1930s. In 1939 he performed with Benny Goodman at the second From Spirituals to Swing concert.

He fell out with Goodman in 1941 - Goodman fiddled with Bernstein's music-stand light so that he would have problems reading the music and appear incompetent, giving Goodman a pretext to fire him. After leaving Goodman in the summer of 1941, Bernstein planned on heading to Los Angeles for work from New York. Before heading out though, he learned that Teddy Wilson's bassist Israel Crosby was forced to leave the band for Chicago and be inducted into the army. So Bernstein halted his own plans in order to fill in for Wilson for a week until he could hire a new bassist, Bernstein even giving his week's salary to Crosby. A noble gesture rarely seen in the industry at the time.

Despite his fallout with Goodman, he won the Down Beat readers' poll in 1943. He later moved to Los Angeles and worked in the film industry for such companies as Universal Studios and Warner Bros., continuing to work for the latter organization until 1963.

He died in Los Angeles at the age of 54.

Birth and Death Data: Born February 4, 1909 (Brooklyn), Died January 4, 1964 (Los Angeles)

Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1933 - 1942

Roles Represented in DAHR: string bass

= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.

Recordings (Results 26-50 of 70 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Victor BS-046031 10-in. 12/26/1939 Something to remember you by Ziggy Elman Orchestra Jazz/dance band instrumentalist, string bass  
Victor BS-060331 10-in. 1/16/1941 Bugle call rag Metronome All Star Band Jazz/dance band instrumentalist, string bass  
Victor BS-060332 10-in. 1/16/1941 One o'clock jump Metronome All Star Band Jazz/dance band instrumentalist, string bass  
Victor PBS-061560 10-in. 8/27/1941 Canción de amor Tito Guizar Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band instrumentalist, string bass  
Victor PBS-061562 10-in. 8/27/1941 Hay que saber perder Tito Guizar Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance band instrumentalist, string bass  
Columbia W152568 10-in. 11/27/1933 Your mother's son-in-law Benny Goodman Orchestra ; Billie Holiday ; Buck Washington Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo instrumentalist, string bass  
Columbia W152650 10-in. 12/18/1933 Riffin' the scotch Benny Goodman Orchestra ; Billie Holiday Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo instrumentalist, string bass  
Brunswick B21117 10-in. 5/11/1937 Sun showers Billie Holiday ; Teddy Wilson Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo instrumentalist, string bass  
Brunswick B21118 10-in. 5/11/1937 Yours and mine Billie Holiday ; Teddy Wilson Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo instrumentalist, string bass  
Brunswick B21119 10-in. 5/11/1937 I'll get by Billie Holiday ; Teddy Wilson Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo instrumentalist, string bass  
Brunswick B21120 10-in. 5/11/1937 Mean to me Billie Holiday ; Teddy Wilson Orchestra Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo instrumentalist, string bass  
Vocalion 19971 10-in. 9/29/1936 A fine romance Billie Holiday Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo instrumentalist, string bass  
Vocalion 19972 10-in. 9/29/1936 I can't pretend Billie Holiday Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo instrumentalist, string bass  
Vocalion 19973 10-in. 9/29/1936 One, two, button your shoe Billie Holiday Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo instrumentalist, string bass  
Vocalion 19974 10-in. 9/29/1936 Let's call a heart a heart Billie Holiday Jazz/dance band, with female vocal solo instrumentalist, string bass  
Decca 38301 10-in. 8/14/1934 Heat wave The Dorsey Brothers instrumentalist, string bass  
Decca 38302 10-in. 8/14/1934 By heck The Dorsey Brothers instrumentalist, string bass  
Decca 38303 10-in. 8/15/1934 Stop, look and listen The Dorsey Brothers instrumentalist, string bass  
Decca 38304 10-in. 8/15/1934 I'm gettin' sentimental over you The Dorsey Brothers instrumentalist, string bass  
Decca 38307 10-in. 8/15/1934 Long may we love The Dorsey Brothers instrumentalist, string bass  
Decca 38308 10-in. 8/15/1934 Annie's Cousin Fanny The Dorsey Brothers instrumentalist, string bass  
Decca 38309 10-in. 8/15/1934 Dr. Heckle and Mr. Jibe The Dorsey Brothers instrumentalist, string bass  
Decca 38320 10-in. 8/16/1934 Valse bluette Victor Young Orchestra instrumentalist, string bass  
Decca 38321 10-in. 8/16/1934 Tales from the Vienna woods, part 1 Victor Young Orchestra instrumentalist, string bass  
Decca 38322 10-in. 8/16/1934 Tales from the Vienna woods, part 2 Victor Young Orchestra instrumentalist, string bass  
(Results 26-50 of 70 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Bernstein, Artie," accessed April 19, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/110373.

Bernstein, Artie. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved April 19, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/110373.

"Bernstein, Artie." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 19 April 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

URI: https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/110373

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