Herb Gardner (1936 – 2025)

Trombonist and pianist Herb Gardner, a fixture of the New York and New England traditional-jazz scenes for more than six decades, passed away on September 23rd, he was 88. Known for his versatility, intellect, and easy humor, Gardner bridged the worlds of mainstream swing, Dixieland, and classic jazz with equal ease.

A Massachusetts native, Gardner began piano lessons as a child and later took up trombone, developing into a gifted multi-instrumentalist while studying at Harvard University. After graduating, he moved to New York City in 1963, quickly finding work among the classic-jazz players clustered around Eddie Condon’s band. In the 1960s he performed frequently with Condon’s group, including a 1964 television broadcast, and soon worked alongside Wild Bill Davison, Jimmy McPartland, Roy Eldridge, Gene Krupa, Bobby Hackett, Doc Cheatham, Red Allen, Wingy Manone, and Jimmy Rushing, earning a reputation as one of the most reliable and melodic sidemen in town.

By the 1970s and ’80s, Gardner had become a cornerstone of the New York mainstream and traditional-jazz circuit, appearing regularly with Kenny Davern, Bob Wilber, the Smith Street Society Jazz Band, and Vince Giordano & His Nighthawks while holding the trombone chair in the house band at Eddie Condon’s Jazz Club. He recorded widely, contributing to dozens of sessions that spanned swing revival, Dixieland, and small-group mainstream jazz.

Relocating to New England, Gardner became a long-time member and frequent guest of the Galvanized Jazz Band, appearing throughout its storied Sunday-night residency at Connecticut’s Millpond Tavern. He also performed and recorded with the New Black Eagle Jazz Band, among many others, and could often be found at New England festivals and club dates alternating effortlessly between trombone and piano.

Alongside his performing career, Gardner devoted more than thirty years to teaching instrumental music to emotionally challenged students at a school in Pleasantville, New York, a commitment that reflected the same patience and generosity he extended to young musicians on the bandstand.

In later years he remained active across the region, appearing at Jeff and Joel’s House Parties and other traditional-jazz gatherings, still displaying the sly humor and unflappable grace that had endeared him to audiences for over half a century. Those who knew him remember not only his hot licks and impeccable timing, but his warmth, intelligence, and steadfast belief that good music and good spirits belonged together. He wrote a refreshingly brief biography of his musical life, At the Jazz Band Ball, intersprecing suscinct anecdotes with his wife’s photos in a magazine like format that can be enjoyed in an hour.