Enough can't be said about Ed Bickert. He was the foremost Canadian jazz guitarist of his era. He played a battered Telecaster, preferred plaid shirts and smoked Sportsman cigarettes. He said very little and played a lot. He was Paul Desmond's favourite accompanist. He played on Moe Koffman's 'Swingin' Shepherd Blues' and made albums with Desmond, Rob McConnell, Art Farmer, Zoot Sims, Mike Murley, Fraser MacPherson, Frank Rosolino, Lorne Lofsky, Buddy Tate, Benny Carter, Kenny Wheeler and Humphrey Littleton (to name a few). He made albums with Trudy Desmond, Shirley Eikhart and Rosemary Clooney (to name a few). He evolved several of the greatest rhythm sections ever heard in this country with Ron Rully, Don Thompson, Terry Clarke, Jerry Fuller, Steve Wallace and Barry Elmes (to name a few). But to quote Don Thompson, "He's not an aggressive guy.... He was a reluctant bandleader."
And he always sounded like Ed Bickert.
