Bob Bertles
Tenor Saxophonist Bob Bertles is an Australian jazz musician who began his performing career in 1956. In the late 1950s and early 60s Bertles was an important member of the developing modern jazz scene that grew out of venues like the Mocambo in Newtown and especially the El Rocco Jazz Cellar in Sydney's Kings Cross.
Active in clubs, on TV, as a session musician and on the pop-rock scene, he toured with Johnny O'Keefe and The Dee Jays between 1958 and 1963. Bertles led a quartet with Keith Barr and Brian Fagen and Barry Woods, which played at Melbourne's equivalent of the El Rocco, the Fat Black Pussycat in Toorak.
In 1967 Bertles temporarily joined Sydney-based rock-soul band Max Merritt & The Meteors and was soon invited to become a permament member. Only weeks after joining Bertles, Merritt and drummer Stewie Speer narrowly escaped death after their van collided head-on with a truck on the way to a country dance; all three were seriously injured and Bertles was left with a permanent limp. During his five-year stint with the Meteors he relocated to London in 1969 and was involved in sessions for Cliff Richard, Cilla Black and Alan Price. In 1974, after the group split due to management and money problems, Bertles joined Ian Carr's Nucleus (band)\Nucleus.
He returned to Australia in 1977 to take up a teaching post at the NSW Conservatorium of Music. He formed the acclaimed group Moontrane son afterwards; this featured many of some of Sydneys finest jazz musicians including Mike Bukovsky, Dave Panichi, and Paul McNamara.
In more recent years Bertles has toured Europe extensively, joined the orchestra for the Australian production of the stage musical Chicago, and has toured the USA and Australia with the Australian Jazz Orchestra.
In addition to regular concerts, festivals, session work, and touring, Bertles' recent projects include recording and live performances with Sydneys renowned Ten Part Invention (who toured internationally in late 2004), and two new CDs from his own group The Bob Bertles Quintet. His most recent recording with the Quartet, Moonlight Saving Time, is a collaboration with vocalist Toni Lamond. When not touring, Bertles presents a regular Tuesday afternoon program on Sydney jazz station [Radio]