Bernie Glow


Bernie Glow was an American trumpet player who specialized in jazz and commercial lead trumpet from the 1940s to 1970s. He was born Bernard Abraham Glatzer on Feb 6 1926 in New York to Gustav and Frances Glatzer. He was known as Bernie Glow by age 18, as shown on his amended 1944 draft card, which lists his occupation at “musician free-lance.”
Glow's early career was on the road with Artie Shaw, Woody Herman and others during the last years of the big-band era. The majority of his years were spent as a first-rate New York City studio musician, where he worked with Miles Davis and Frank Sinatra, and did thousands of radio and television recording sessions.

Training

At The High School of Music & Art, during the Second World War, Bernie played in bands with future notables Stan Getz, Tiny Khan, Shorty Rogers and George Wallington.
Other than the influence of symphonic trumpet masters and his peers, Glow was influenced early on by performances of Snooky Young with the Jimmie Lunceford band, and Billy Butterfield with Benny Goodman.

Early career 1942–1949

Just sixteen and out of high school, Glow spent a year on the road with the Richard Himber Orchestra. Two years later he was with Xavier Cugat and then Raymond Scott on CBS radio. In 1945 he was playing lead trumpet with the Artie Shaw band. Following that stint, he was with Boyd Raeburn.
In 1949, at 23, he retired from the road after more than a year with Woody Herman and his famous "Second Herd".

NYC freelance years 1949–1952

In this middle period Glow worked as a trumpet player in a wide variety of situations. He played in big bands, Latin bands and dance orchestras. He performed around Manhattan in theaters, dance halls, night clubs and on the radio. This was the final preparation that launched him into the burgeoning commercial and studio scene.

Studio years 1950s–1970s

Beginning in 1953 Bernie Glow was a first-call trumpet player and played on thousands of recording sessions. There was great variety in the kinds of music being recorded; One day he would play a radio commercial for Pepsi, and the next he would record an album with Frank Sinatra or Ella Fitzgerald. Many of these studio big-band sessions were led by leading composer/arrangers Nelson Riddle, Quincy Jones and Oliver Nelson. He played on the seminal Miles Davis and Gil Evans collaborations that produced the masterpiece albums Miles Ahead, Porgy and Bess, Sketches of Spain, and Quiet Nights. Glow also spent time as a member of the NBC and CBS staff orchestras.
He played a Bach Stradivarius Bb 72* trumpet.

Death

He died of a blood disorder in Manhasset at the age of 56.

Discography

As sideman

With Manny Albam
With Tony Bennett
With George Benson
With Bob Brookmeyer
  • Brookmeyer
  • Portrait of the Artist
  • Gloomy Sunday and Other Bright Moments
With Ruth Brown
  • Late Date with Ruth Brown
With Kenny Burrell
With Candido Camero
With Betty Carter
  • Social Call
With Al Cohn
  • Four Brass One Tenor
  • Son of Drum Suite
With Hank Crawford
  • Mr. Blues Plays Lady Soul
  • Wildflower
With Miles Davis and Gil Evans
  • Miles Ahead
  • Porgy and Bess
  • Sketches of Spain
With Bill Evans
  • Symbiosis
With Gil Evans
  • The Individualism of Gil Evans
With Art Farmer
  • The Aztec Suite
  • Listen to Art Farmer and the Orchestra
With Maynard Ferguson
With Aretha Franklin
  • Aretha Now
  • Soul '69
With Curtis Fuller
With Dizzy Gillespie
  • Perceptions
With Jimmy Giuffre
  • The Music Man
With Benny Golson
  • Take a Number from 1 to 10
With Urbie Green
  • Urbie Green's Big Beautiful Band
With Eddie Harris
  • Silver Cycles
;With Coleman Hawkins
  • The Hawk in Hi Fi
With Billie Holiday
  • Lady in Satin
With Freddie Hubbard
  • Windjammer
With Milt Jackson
  • Big Bags
With Al Kooper
With John Lewis
With Mundell Lowe
  • Satan in High Heels
With Herbie Mann
  • Salute to the Flute
With Gary McFarland
  • The Jazz Version of "How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying"
  • Profiles
With Blue Mitchell
  • Smooth as the Wind
With the Modern Jazz Quartet
  • Jazz Dialogue
With Wes Montgomery
  • California Dreaming
With Mark Murphy
  • Rah!
With Oliver Nelson
  • Impressions of Phaedra
With Joe Newman
  • Salute to Satch
With Laura Nyro
  • Eli and the Thirteenth Confession
With Anita O'Day
  • All the Sad Young Men
With Chico O'Farrill
  • Nine Flags
With Tito Puente
  • Dance Mania
With Nelson Riddle
  • Phil Silvers and Swinging Brass
With Jimmy Smith
  • The Cat
With Rex Stewart and Cootie Williams
With Sarah Vaughan
With Walter Wanderley
  • Moondreams
With Dinah Washington
  • The Swingin' Miss "D"
With Doc Severinsen- "The Big Band's Back in Town" -Command records- 1962
With Van McCoy & the Soul City Symphony backing The Stylistics- Trumpet solos on "Do the Hustle" & "I Can't Give You Anything "- 1975