Morty Corb; Jazz Bassist Played With Major Artists

Morty Corb, 79, a veteran jazz bassist who was an original member of Louis Armstrong’s All Stars. A native of San Antonio, Corb started playing string bass as a teenager and got his first job in a local dance band when he was 17. Later working with band leader Joe Reichman, he played at the Biltmore Bowl and decided to stay in Los Angeles--with time out for service in an Army Air Force band during World War II. Corb became a studio musician, but also worked with bands in Los Angeles nightclubs and at radio station KLAC. When Armstrong organized his small band, the All Stars, he invited Corb to join. They debuted Aug. 13, 1947, at Billy Berg’s Vine Street Club. When Armstrong took the band on the road, however, Corb bowed out, preferring to work in the Hollywood studios. He appeared in films with Red Nichols, Peggy Lee, Gene Krupa, Woody Herman, Benny Carter, Ray Anthony and Les Brown. He recorded with major artists including Ella Fitzgerald, Pearl Bailey, Nat King Cole, Judy Garland and Stan Kenton, and continued to perform in nightclubs and concerts with such headliners as Al Hirt, Kay Starr and Jimmy Durante. On Jan. 13 in Las Vegas of an aneurysm.