Clement Hambourg (31 July 1900 – 3 February 1973) was a pianist and musical promoter, a member of the famous Hambourg musical family, who spent his working life in Canada.'Clement Hambourg', in ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' (2012)
/ref> He began as a classical musician but became more involved in jazz after World War II. Clement (often known as Clem) was the son of

Michael Hambourg Michael Hambourg (12 July 1855 – 18 June 1916) was a Russian-born Canadian pianist and music educator. He was the teacher of several prominent pianists; including his sons, Clement and Mark Hambourg. He worked as a piano pedagogue at conservato ...

. He was born in London and trained there as a pianist by his father. His older brothers were pianist

Mark Hambourg Mark Hambourg (; 1 June 1879, in Boguchar, Voronezh Governorate – 26 August 1960, in Cambridge, United Kingdom) was a Russian British concert pianist. Life Mark Hambourg was the eldest son of the pianist Michael Hambourg (1855–19 ...

(born 1879), the violinist

Jan Hambourg Jan Hambourg ( – 29 September 1947) was a violinist, a member of a famous musical family, who made his career in Europe during the early 20th century. Hambourg was born in Voronezh, Russian Empire, the middle brother between the famous pianist ...

(born 1882) and the cellist

Boris Hambourg Boris Hambourg (; – 24 November 1954) was a Russian Canadians, Russian Canadian cellist and music educator who settled in Toronto, Ontario, and made his career in the United States, Canada, England and Europe. With his father, the pianist Micha ...

(born 1885). The family settled in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

in 1910, and Clement made his pianistic debut there in 1925. He played in Canada with the Hambourg Trio and as a soloist while teaching at the Hambourg Conservatory. In 1928 he married his first wife, the writer Kathleen FitzGerald, and their son Klemi was born that year.Clement Hambourg biography, Hambourg Conservatory
/ref> After the war, and following his marriage to second wife Ruth Nadine, he founded the House of Hambourg, an after hours bar and music studio for teaching and recording music which attracted progressive jazz musicians, including

Guido Basso Guido Basso (27 September 1937 – 13 February 2023) was a Canadian jazz musician who was a member of Rob McConnell's Boss Brass big band. He was a trumpeter, flugelhornist, arranger, composer, and conductor. Early life Guido Basso was born i ...

Ed Bickert Edward Isaac Bickert, (November 29, 1932 – February 28, 2019) was a Canadian guitarist who played mainstream jazz and swing music. Bickert worked professionally from the mid-1950s to 2000, mainly in the Toronto area. His international reputati ...

Ron Collier Ron Collier, (July 3, 1930 – October 22, 2003) was a Canadian jazz trombonist, composer, and arranger. He performed in and led a number of jazz groups, and created orchestrations for and recorded with Duke Ellington. Early life and educati ...

Moe Koffman Morris "Moe" Koffman, OC (28 December 1928 – 28 March 2001) was a Canadian jazz saxophonist and flautist, as well as composer and arranger. During a career spanning from the 1950s into the 2000s, Koffman was one of Canada's most prolific musici ...

, bassist Jack Lander, drummer Alex Lazaroff,

Phil Nimmons Phillip Rista Nimmons (June 3, 1923 – April 5, 2024) was a Canadian jazz clarinetist, composer, bandleader, and educator. Nimmons played "free jazz" and mainstream styles, and other genres including classical music. He composed more than 400 ...

, drummer Ron Rully, Norman Symonds and Don Thompson - and also

Dave Brubeck David Warren Brubeck (; December 6, 1920 – December 5, 2012) was an American jazz pianist and composer. Often regarded as a foremost exponent of cool jazz, Brubeck's work is characterized by unusual time signatures and superimposing contrasti ...

on his visits to Canada.Doug Harper
''Music in Toronto’s Yorkville Coffee Houses: The House of Hambourg''
/ref> Operating from five different locations over its lifetime, it eventually closed in 1963, but was an important part of the Toronto jazz scene. After its closure, Clem continued to perform in Toronto clubs and hotel lounges, mixing classical music with jazz improvisation and salon music. He appeared as the concert pianist in the 1970

Burl Ives Burl Icle Ivanhoe Ives (June 14, 1909 – April 14, 1995) was an American Folk music, folk singer and actor with a career that spanned more than six decades. Ives began his career as an itinerant singer and guitarist, eventually launching his o ...

film ''The Man Who Wanted to Live Forever'', and in the Canadian television documentary series '' Here Come the 70s''. Clement and Ruth were portrayed in the 1988 play ''Boom, Baby, Boom!'' by Banuta Rubess with music by

Nic Gotham Nicholas Ivor Gotham, known as Nic Gotham, (27 September 1959 – 25 July 2013) was a Canadian jazz saxophonist and composer. His 1992 chamber opera, '' Nigredo Hotel'', won two Dora Awards and was nominated for the Floyd S. Chalmers Canadian Play ...

. Clement's son Klemi became a violinist and teacher and the founding conductor of the

Peterborough Peterborough ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in the City of Peterborough district in the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Cambridgeshire, England. The city is north of London, on the River Nene. A ...

Symphony Orchestra.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hambourg, Clement 1900 births 1973 deaths Canadian classical pianists Male classical pianists Canadian people of Russian-Jewish descent Canadian classical musicians Canadian jazz pianists 20th-century Canadian pianists