Harry Aaron Finkelman (May 26, 1914 – June 26, 1968), known professionally as Ziggy Elman, was an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

trumpeter associated with

Benny Goodman Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American clarinetist and bandleader known as the "King of Swing". From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing big bands in the United States. His conc ...

, though he also led his group Ziggy Elman and His Orchestra.

Early years

Elman was born in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, United States, but his family settled in

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020, the city had a population of 38,497.

when he was four. His father was a violinist who had hoped Elman would play violin. Although he did learn to play violin, he preferred brass instruments. He began playing for Jewish weddings and nightclubs at age 15.

Career

In 1932, made his first recording, playing the trombone. At some point in the decade he adopted the name "Ziggy Elman". In 1936, Elman joined the

orchestra as a trumpeter, after playing briefly with a band led by Alex Bartha at Steel Pier in Atlantic City, where Goodman heard him. In 1938, while with Goodman, he got a contract with Bluebird, RCA's cheaper label, to record 20 sides as Ziggy Elman and his Orchestra, although all the members were in Goodman's band. One original tune was "Frailach in Swing," based on a 1918 recording of "Der Shtiller Bulgar" ("The Quiet Bulgar") by Abe Schwartz. During the first half of 1939, Benny Goodman and His Orchestra was featured on the "Camel Caravan" radio show, with singer and songwriter

Johnny Mercer John Herndon Mercer (November 18, 1909 – June 25, 1976) was an American lyricist, songwriter, and singer, as well as a record label executive who co-founded Capitol Records with music industry businessmen Buddy DeSylva and Glenn E. Wallic ...

as singer, writer of speciality numbers, and announcer. One weekly show, Goodman challenged Mercer, who was known for usually being a fast writer, to write lyrics for Elman's tune in one week. Two weeks later, Mercer brought some lyrics for a slower tempo. Goodman had arranger

Jimmy Mundy James Mundy (June 28, 1907 – April 24, 1983) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, arranger, and composer, best known for his arrangements for Benny Goodman, Count Basie, and Earl Hines. Mundy died of cancer in New York City at the age of 75 ...

write an arrangement for the tune, now called " And the Angels Sing". The recording, with vocal by Martha Tilton and featuring Elman's trumpet, was a No. 1 hit. Mercer biographer Philip Furia suggests the challenge to Mercer "sounds like a prearranged plug for a completed song." After leaving Goodman in 1940, Elman joined

Tommy Dorsey Thomas Francis Dorsey Jr. (November 19, 1905 – November 26, 1956) was an American jazz trombonist, composer, conductor and bandleader of the big band era. He was known as the "Sentimental Gentleman of Swing" because of his smooth-toned trombo ...

and stayed until he was drafted in 1943. After he was discharged in 1946, he re-joined Dorsey for another year. He loved frailach music (Jewish wedding music) later known as klezmer, and made a few recordings of such with

Mickey Katz Meyer Myron "Mickey" Katz (June 15, 1909 – April 30, 1985) was an American musician and comedian. He was the father of actor Joel Grey and paternal grandfather of actress Jennifer Grey. Early life Meyer Myron Katz was born on Sawtell Court in ...

. In the period from 1940 to 1947, he was honored in '' Down Beat'' magazine's Readers Poll six times. He led his own bands from 1947. In 1956, he was asked to recreate a

klezmer Klezmer ( yi, קלעזמער or ) is an instrumental musical tradition of the Ashkenazi Jews of Central and Eastern Europe. The essential elements of the tradition include dance tunes, ritual melodies, and virtuosic improvisations played for l ...

solo with the vocalist Martha Tilton for the movie, '' The Benny Goodman Story'', but was unable to, his technique having since withered away. Elman appeared performing it in the film, but another trumpeter, Mannie Klein, played the solo on the soundtrack. By the 1950s, the music had changed.

Big bands A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s and ...

had declined and for a time he switched to entertainment work. In this decade he appeared in films mostly as himself. In 1956 he had a heart attack, curtailing his music career. By the end of the 1950s he was financially ruined, and had to work for a car dealership. In 1961, it was revealed at an alimony hearing that he was virtually bankrupt. He later worked in a music store and gave trumpet lessons. He died in 1968 at the age of 54 and was buried at

Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery is the largest Jewish cemetery organization in California. History Mount Sinai Memorial Parks and Mortuaries, owned by Sinai Temple of Los Angeles, refers to two Jewish cemeteries in the Los Angeles metropol ...

in Los Angeles.

Discography

As leader

* "Fralich in Swing/Bublitchki" (Bluebird, 1939) * "Bye 'n' Bye/Deep Night" (Bluebird, 1939)

As sideman

With

* "Bei mir bis du schon" (Victor, 1937) * "Wrapping It Up" (Victor, 1938) * "And the Angels Sing" (Victor, 1939) * "Zaggin' with Zig" (Bluebird, 1939) * ''The Famous 1938 Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert Volume 1'' (Columbia Masterworks, 1950) * ''The Famous 1938 Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert Volume II'' (Columbia Masterworks, 1950) * '' The Complete RCA Victor Small Group Recordings'' (RCA Victor, 1997) With

* "Swing High" (Victor, 1940) * "Swanee River" (Victor, 1940) * ''What Is This Thing Called Love?'' (Victor, 1942) * ''Yes Indeed!'' (RCA Victor, 1956) With others * Lionel Hampton, "Ain't Cha Comin' Home?" (Victor, 1939) * Lionel Hampton, "Gin for Christmas" (Victor, 1939) *

Jess Stacy Jesse Alexandria Stacy (August 11, 1904 – January 1, 1995) was an American jazz pianist who gained prominence during the swing era. He is perhaps best known for his years with the Benny Goodman band during the late 1930s, particularly his pe ...

, ''Tribute to Benny Goodman'' (Atlantic, 1956)

References

External links

* *
Interview with his son at the Big Band library
{{DEFAULTSORT:Elman, Ziggy 1914 births 1968 deaths 20th-century American musicians 20th-century trumpeters American jazz trumpeters American male trumpeters Big band bandleaders Big band trumpet players Burials at Mount Sinai Memorial Park Cemetery Dance band bandleaders Dance band trumpet players Jewish American musicians Jewish jazz musicians Klezmer musicians Musicians from Philadelphia Swing trumpeters Jazz musicians from Pennsylvania 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians