Jack Lesberg
Jack Lesberg (February 14, 1920 – September 17, 2005) was an American jazz double-bassist. Lesberg performed with many famous jazz musicians, including Louis Armstrong, Earl Hines, Jack Teagarden, Sarah Vaughan and Benny Goodman, with whom he went on several international tours. He also performed in the New York City Symphony under Leonard Bernstein in the 1940s. A native of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, Lesberg had the misfortune of playing in that city's Cocoanut Grove on the night in 1942 when 492 people lost their lives in a fire. His escape was memorialized by fellow bassist Charles Mingus in an unpublished section of Mingus's autobiography Beneath the Underdog; this passage was read by rapper Chuck D. on the Mingus tribute album, Weird Nightmare. Lesberg continued to tour in the 1980s and was interviewed for KCEA radio in 1984, following a performance in Menlo Park, California. During the taped interview he spoke of the many bands and performers he worked with and expressed his feelings that he felt blessed to be a musician. He died of Alzheimer's in Englewood, New Jersey at the age of 85. |
Birth and Death Data: Born Boston (capital and largest city of Massachusetts, United States), Died September 17, 2005 (Englewood (city in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States, suburb of NYC) )
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1942 - 1962
Roles Represented in DAHR: string bass, guitar
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 1-25 of 105 records)
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victor | BS-073671 | 10-in. | 4/1/1942 | Pennsylvania polka | André Musette Orchestra | Instrumental ensemble | instrumentalist, string bass | |
| Victor | E0FB-3282 | 10-in. | 2/23/1950 | Chug-a-lug | Continental Capers ; Merrie Musette Orchestra | Instrumental ensemble, with vocal ensemble | instrumentalist, string bass | |
| Victor | E0VB-3283 | 10-in. | 2/23/1950 | The Chalet in the valley | Continental Capers ; Merrie Musette Orchestra | Instrumental ensemble, with vocal ensemble | instrumentalist, string bass | |
| Victor | E0VB-4153 | 10-in. | 4/10/1950 | 'Way down yonder in New Orleans | Clambake Seven ; Tommy Dorsey | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, string bass | |
| Victor | E0VB-4154 | 10-in. | 4/10/1950 | Tiger rag | Clambake Seven ; Tommy Dorsey | Jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, string bass | |
| Victor | E0VB-5239 | 10-in. | 8/5/1950 | Can anyone explain? (No! No! No!) | Larry Green ; The Honeydreamers | Mixed vocal quintet with instrumental quartet | instrumentalist, string bass | |
| Victor | E0VB-5240 | 10-in. | 8/5/1950 | All dressed up to smile | Larry Green ; The Honeydreamers | Mixed vocal quintet with instrumental quartet | instrumentalist, string bass | |
| Victor | E1VB-2966 | 10-in. | 8/10/1951 | I remember when | Eddie Fisher | Male vocal solo, with orchestra and vocal sensemble | instrumentalist, string bass | |
| Victor | D5VB-0620 | 10-in. | 9/20/1945 | Homesick-that's all | Russ Case ; Murphy Sisters | Female vocal group, with jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, string bass | |
| Victor | D5VB-0621 | 10-in. | 9/20/1945 | Will the angels play their harps for me? (A beggar's lament) | Russ Case ; Murphy Sisters | Female vocal group, with jazz/dance band | instrumentalist, string bass | |
| Victor | PD6VB-1429 | 10-in. | 4/10/1946 | Jazz me blues | Brad Gowans' New York Nine | Jazz/dance ensemble | instrumentalist, string bass | |
| Victor | PD6VB-1432 | 10-in. | 4/10/1946 | Singin' the blues (till my daddy comes home) | Brad Gowans' New York Nine | Jazz/dance ensemble | instrumentalist, string bass | |
| Victor | D7VB-0660 | 10-in. | 3/14/1947 | St. Louis blues | Jack Teagarden's Big Eight | Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance octet | instrumentalist, string bass | |
| Victor | D7VB-0661 | 10-in. | 3/14/1947 | Blues after hours | Jack Teagarden's Big Eight | Male vocal solo, with jazz/dance octet | instrumentalist, string bass | |
| Victor | D7VB-2659 | 10-in. | 12/11/1947 | April in Paris | Coleman Hawkins Orchestra | Instrumental ensemble | instrumentalist, string bass | |
| Victor | D7VB-2660 | 10-in. | 12/11/1947 | How strange | Coleman Hawkins Orchestra | Instrumental ensemble | instrumentalist, string bass | |
| Victor | D7VB-2661 | 10-in. | 12/11/1947 | Half step down, please | Coleman Hawkins Orchestra | Instrumental ensemble | instrumentalist, string bass | |
| Atlantic | 238 | 10-in. | 5/25/1949 | It's raining | Ruth Brown ; Eddie Condon Orchestra | instrumentalist, string bass | ||
| Atlantic | 239 | 10-in. | 5/25/1949 | So long | Ruth Brown ; Eddie Condon Orchestra | instrumentalist, string bass | ||
| Atlantic | 411 | 10-in. | 4/26/1950 | Crazy words - crazy tune - vo-do-de-o | Tommy Reynolds ; The Tom Cats | instrumentalist, string bass | ||
| Atlantic | 412 | 10-in. | 4/26/1950 | Did you come back to say goodbye? | Tommy Reynolds ; The Tom Cats | instrumentalist, string bass | ||
| Atlantic | 413 | 10-in. | 4/26/1950 | Oceana roll | Tommy Reynolds ; The Tom Cats | instrumentalist, string bass | ||
| Decca | 72933 | 10-in. | 6/14/1945 | Lady be good-1 | Eddie Condon Orchestra | instrumentalist, string bass | ||
| Decca | 72934 | 10-in. | 6/14/1945 | Swanee-2 | Eddie Condon Orchestra | instrumentalist, string bass | ||
| Decca | 73480 | 3/27/1946 | Farewell blues | Eddie Condon Orchestra | instrumentalist, string bass |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Lesberg, Jack," accessed December 26, 2025, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/205783.
Lesberg, Jack. (2025). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved December 26, 2025, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/205783.
"Lesberg, Jack." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2025. Web. 26 December 2025.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Jack Lesberg
Discogs: Jack Lesberg
Allmusic: Jack Lesberg
Grove: Jack Lesberg
IMDb: Jack Lesberg
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Lesberg, Jack - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n91115180
Wikidata: Jack Lesberg - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1677101
VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/66652349
MusicBrainz: Jack Lesberg - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/2608b153-45b8-4e71-8c7b-ac879997103a
Fast: https://id.worldcat.org/fast/1502193 - https://id.worldcat.org/fast/1502193
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