| Mort Weiss | |
| Background: | non_vocal_instrumentalist |
| Birth Date: | April 1935 |
| Death Date: | October 13, 2021 |
| Birth Place: | Pennsylvania |
| Genre: | Jazz |
| Occupation: | Musician |
| Instrument: | Clarinet |
| Label: | SMS Jazz |
| Associated Acts: | Joey DeFrancesco Sam Most |
Mort Weiss was a jazz clarinet player. On his first album as leader he performed with Joey DeFrancesco on the Hammond B3 organ, featured also on his second album B3 and Me (recorded in 2003 but not released until 2006). According to Scott Yanow, "Clarinet-organ groups are far from common. In fact, prior to Mort Weiss' debut CD with organist Joey DeFrancesco, it is possible that combination had never been utilized before."[1] Weiss has performed with Bill Cunliffe, Sam Most, Ramon Banda, Dave Carpenter, Roy McCurdy, and Luther Hughes and has written essays for the website All About Jazz.
Weiss died October 13, 2021, in Woodbridge, Virginia, and is survived by his son Michael H Weiss. Cause of death was a combination of MRSA and heart failure.
Weiss began clarinet lessons when he was nine years old. After moving with his family to Los Angeles, he continued playing classical music. During his teens he studied with clarinetist Antonio Remondi of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. After graduation and a year at the Westlake School of Music, the teenage Weiss soloed on T.V. programs with the Freddie Martin Orchestra, a.k.a. The Band of Tomorrow.
Weiss' exposure to jazz began with Dixieland. But when he heard a Charlie Parker record, he was hooked. He frequented jazz clubs, participating in after-hours jam sessions, and spending many hours in the woodshed honing his craft. Clarinetist Buddy DeFranco became his idol.
At the age of 19, Weiss was drafted into the Armed Services and played tenor saxophone in the Army band. In the ten years following his discharge, there was a dearth of work for jazz clarinetists and the tenor saxophone became his bread and butter. Weiss' life became lounges, minor jazz clubs, and work in R&B bands.
In the summer of 2001, Weiss read an advertising flyer that asked "Do You Want to Play Jazz?" It was enough to make him begin practicing and invite guitarist Ron Eschete to jam. Their collaboration led to a recording session that became No Place to Hide, the first album on Weiss's label SMS Jazz.