Bob Bertles (6 March 1939 – 30 December 2024) was an Australian jazz alto, tenor and baritone saxophonist and bandleader.

Life and career

Bertles was born in

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

on 6 March 1939. A self-taught musician, Bertles in the late 1950s and early 60s was a member of the developing modern jazz scene that grew out of venues like the Mocambo in Newtown and 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 John Michael O'Keefe (19 January 1935 – 6 October 1978) was an Australian rock and roll singer whose career began in the early 1950s. A pioneer of Rock music in Australia, his hits include " Wild One" (1958), " Shout!" and "She's My Baby". O ...

. In 1967 Bertles temporarily joined Sydney-based rock-soul band Max Merritt & The Meteors. 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. In 1974, after the group split, Bertles joined

Ian Carr Ian Carr (21 April 1933 – 25 February 2009) was a Scottish jazz musician, composer, writer, and educator. Carr performed and recorded with the Rendell-Carr quintet and jazz-fusion band Nucleus (band), Nucleus, and was an associate professor a ...

Nucleus Nucleus (: nuclei) is a Latin word for the seed inside a fruit. It most often refers to: *Atomic nucleus, the very dense central region of an atom *Cell nucleus, a central organelle of a eukaryotic cell, containing most of the cell's DNA Nucleu ...

. In later years Bertles toured Europe extensively, joined the orchestra for the Australian production of the stage musical ''Chicago'', where he met his future wife, theatre performer

Nancye Hayes Nancye Lee Bertles AM ( Hayes; born January 1943), billed under her maiden name as Nancye Hayes, is an Australian actress, dancer, singer and choreographer/director and narrator. She has been a leading figure in Australian musical theatre sin ...

. In addition to regular concerts, festivals, session work, and touring, Bertles' later projects included recording and live performances with Sydney's renowned

Ten Part Invention Ten Part Invention is an Australian jazz ensemble formed in 1986 by drummer John Pochée. They came together for the 1986 Adelaide Festival of Arts. They were nominated for the 1992 ARIA Award for Best Jazz Album for their self-titled album. Me ...

. Bertles died on 30 December 2024, at the age of 85.

Discography

Albums

Awards and nominations

ARIA Music Awards

The

ARIA Music Awards The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Austr ...

is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of

Australian music The music of Australia has an extensive history made of music societies. Indigenous Australian music forms a significant part of the unique heritage of a 40,000- to 60,000-year history which produced the iconic didgeridoo. Contemporary fusions o ...

. They commenced in 1987. ! , - ,

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

, ''Rhythm of the Heart'' , Best Jazz Album , , ARIA Award previous winners. , -

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bertles, Bob 1939 births 2024 deaths Australian jazz saxophonists Male saxophonists Jazz tenor saxophonists Nucleus (band) members 21st-century Australian saxophonists 21st-century Australian male musicians 21st-century Australian musicians Australian male jazz musicians Musicians from Melbourne