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 51-70 of 70 records)

Company Matrix No. Size First Recording Date Title Primary Performer Description Role Audio
Decca 38323 10-in. 8/16/1934 A perfect day Victor Young Orchestra instrumentalist, string bass  
Decca 38327 10-in. 8/16/1934 Beautiful love Victor Young Orchestra instrumentalist, string bass  
Decca 38874 10-in. 10/23/1934 It had to be you Adrian Rollini Orchestra instrumentalist, string bass  
Decca 38875 10-in. 10/23/1934 Sugar Adrian Rollini Orchestra instrumentalist, string bass  
Decca 38876 10-in. 10/23/1934 Davenport blues Adrian Rollini Orchestra instrumentalist, string bass  
Decca 38877 10-in. 10/22/1934 Somebody loves me Adrian Rollini Orchestra instrumentalist, string bass  
Decca 38878 10-in. 10/23/1934 Riverboat shuffle Adrian Rollini Orchestra instrumentalist, string bass  
Decca 39395 10-in. 3/12/1935 Lookie, Lookie, Lookie, here comes Cookie Cleo Brown instrumentalist, string bass  
Decca 39396 10-in. 3/12/1935 You're a heavenly thing Cleo Brown instrumentalist, string bass  
Decca 39397 10-in. 3/12/1935 I'll take the South Cleo Brown instrumentalist, string bass  
Decca 39398 10-in. 3/12/1935 The stuff is here and it's mellow Cleo Brown instrumentalist, string bass  
Decca 39399 10-in. 3/12/1935 Boogie woogie (Pinetop's boogie woogie) Cleo Brown instrumentalist, string bass  
Decca 60302 10-in. 1/6/1936 I'm gonna sit right down and write myself a letter Boswell Sisters instrumentalist, string bass  
Decca 60303 10-in. 1/6/1936 The music goes 'round and around Boswell Sisters instrumentalist, string bass  
Decca DLA 2963 10-in. 3/27/1942 Mr. Music Master (The old music master) Hoagy Carmichael instrumentalist, string bass  
Decca DLA 2964 10-in. 3/27/1942 Old man Harlem Hoagy Carmichael instrumentalist, string bass  
Decca DLA 2981 10-in. 5/11/1942 Judy Hoagy Carmichael instrumentalist, string bass  
Decca DLA 2982 10-in. 5/11/1942 Star dust Hoagy Carmichael instrumentalist, string bass  
Decca DLA 2983 10-in. 5/11/1942 Don't forget to say no, baby Hoagy Carmichael instrumentalist, string bass  
Decca DLA 2984 10-in. 5/11/1942 Hong Kong blues Hoagy Carmichael instrumentalist, string bass  
(Results 51-70 of 70 records)

Citation

Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Bernstein, Artie," accessed April 18, 2024, https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/110373.

Bernstein, Artie. (2024). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved April 18, 2024, from https://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/110373.

"Bernstein, Artie." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2024. Web. 18 April 2024.

DAHR Persistent Identifier

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

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