Bertie King

If the name Bertie King comes up in connection with the history of the United Kingdom, chances are good the average citizen will think the subject under discussion is King George VI, known to his cronies as "Bertie." Ask a fan of jazz or Jamaican music, on the other hand, and the reference couldn't possibly be to anyone else but the clarinetist and saxophonist Bertie King, of major importance in his homeland as well as in England. Like many Jamaican players such as Joe Harriott, Harold McNair, and Dizzy Reece, King originally had to flee Jamaica simply to make a living playing...