Bert Firman
Encyclopedia
Bert Firman was an English
bandleader
of the 1920s, 30s and 40s.
He was born as Herbert Feuerman in London
. His mother was of Polish
stock and his father was a professional musician who had settled in Britain from Austria-Hungary
in the late l880's. His three elder brothers were also musicians. He took up the violin
at an early age and won a scholarship to the Guildhall School of Music.
Firman’s first job, at the age of thirteen, was at the Playhouse Theatre
, London, where he was part of a quintet playing entr'acte
music. A year later his father negotiated a position for him in the orchestra at the Victoria Hotel in Northumberland Avenue
. After only three months in this job he secured the part of Sascha, a gypsy violinist in the musical Sally
at the Winter Garden Theatre
, Drury Lane
. The production opened on 10 September 1921, running for 383 performances. During this run, at the suggestion of the producer, George Grossmith Jr, Feuerman changed his name to Bert Firman, apparently so as to make it easier to bill in lights outside the theatre. When the run of Sally finished, Firman got a job as a violinist with the Midnight Follies Orchestra at the Metropole Hotel. Shortly after beginning this job, the current bandleader was indisposed, and Firman was offered the job. He was then only sixteen, and he would thereafter claim to have been the youngest bandleader in the world.
In 1924, Firman became musical director for Zonophone Records (a subsidiary of His Master’s Voice) and in the following five years recorded over 750 sides for them. Throughout the 1920s Firman continued to lead his band from success to success, including a season in variety at the Alhambra Theatre
, Leicester Square
and the Coliseum Theatre
, whilst still also directing the Midnight Follies and then later, bands at the Devonshire Restaurant and the Carlton Hotel. As well as recording with his band, Firman also produced many recordings with a smaller group called The Rhythmic Eight. The group included such prominent musicians as Sylvester Ahola
, Chelsea Quealey
, Frank Guarente, Arthur Lally, Danny Polo
, Max Goldberg and Jack Jackson
.
In 1929 Firman was given a six-month contract to be a guest conductor at N.B.C.
, becoming the first British bandleader to broadcast in America. He then spent some time in Hollywood adding music to a large number of silent films.
Firman then formed a band in London, which he took to Les Ambassadeurs restaurant
in Paris
. The band included Sam Costa
, a young pianist who would later become a singer and actor, as well as Freddy Gardner, a talented British saxophonist. He spent several years in France before returning to London in 1937 to form another band. During this period he broadcast regularly for the B.B.C., and had several series on Radio Luxembourg
.
At the outbreak of war Firman moved to the Cafe de Paris with a band that included Ivor Mairants
and George Melachrino
. However, after a dispute with the management he walked out. He then joined up with the South Staffordshire Regiment
. After completing his training he went to Egypt
, Syria
, Palestine
and Persia, with Stars in Battledress
, an organization dedicated to entertaining the troops. Later the party moved to Europe and crossed the Rhine with the British troops.
After the war Firman was set to lead a band in London again, but was annoyed at being asked to audition for the B.B.C. He therefore went to lead a band in Paris again, where he formed a band at the Bagatelle Club. The band, which included Stephane Grappelli
and Django Reinhardt
, was to be his last.
Firman finally retired from band leading, partly because the age of the big bands was coming to an end. He withdrew entirely from the music business, working on the London Metal Exchange until he opted for full retirement in 1976. He died on the 9 April 1999.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
bandleader
Bandleader
A bandleader is the leader of a band of musicians. The term is most commonly, though not exclusively, used with a group that plays popular music as a small combo or a big band, such as one which plays jazz, blues, rhythm and blues or rock and roll music....
of the 1920s, 30s and 40s.
He was born as Herbert Feuerman in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. His mother was of Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
stock and his father was a professional musician who had settled in Britain from Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
in the late l880's. His three elder brothers were also musicians. He took up the violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
at an early age and won a scholarship to the Guildhall School of Music.
Firman’s first job, at the age of thirteen, was at the Playhouse Theatre
Playhouse Theatre
The Playhouse Theatre is a West End theatre in the City of Westminster, located in Northumberland Avenue, near Trafalgar Square. The Theatre was built by F. H. Fowler and Hill with a seating capacity of 1,200. It was rebuilt in 1907 and still retains its original substage machinery...
, London, where he was part of a quintet playing entr'acte
Entr'acte
' is French for "between the acts" . It can mean a pause between two parts of a stage production, synonymous to an intermission, but it more often indicates a piece of music performed between acts of a theatrical production...
music. A year later his father negotiated a position for him in the orchestra at the Victoria Hotel in Northumberland Avenue
Northumberland Avenue
Northumberland Avenue is a London street, running from Trafalgar Square in the west to The Embankment in the east. The avenue was built on the site of Northumberland House, the London home of the Percy family, the Dukes of Northumberland....
. After only three months in this job he secured the part of Sascha, a gypsy violinist in the musical Sally
Sally (musical)
Sally is a musical comedy with music by Jerome Kern, lyrics by Clifford Grey and book by Guy Bolton , with additional lyrics by Buddy De Sylva, Anne Caldwell and P. G. Wodehouse. It was originally produced by Florenz Ziegfeld, opening on December 21, 1920 at the New Amsterdam Theatre on Broadway...
at the Winter Garden Theatre
New London Theatre
The New London Theatre is a West End theatre located on the corner of Drury Lane and Parker Street in Covent Garden, in the London Borough of Camden...
, Drury Lane
Drury Lane
Drury Lane is a street on the eastern boundary of the Covent Garden area of London, running between Aldwych and High Holborn. The northern part is in the borough of Camden and the southern part in the City of Westminster....
. The production opened on 10 September 1921, running for 383 performances. During this run, at the suggestion of the producer, George Grossmith Jr, Feuerman changed his name to Bert Firman, apparently so as to make it easier to bill in lights outside the theatre. When the run of Sally finished, Firman got a job as a violinist with the Midnight Follies Orchestra at the Metropole Hotel. Shortly after beginning this job, the current bandleader was indisposed, and Firman was offered the job. He was then only sixteen, and he would thereafter claim to have been the youngest bandleader in the world.
In 1924, Firman became musical director for Zonophone Records (a subsidiary of His Master’s Voice) and in the following five years recorded over 750 sides for them. Throughout the 1920s Firman continued to lead his band from success to success, including a season in variety at the Alhambra Theatre
Alhambra Theatre
The Alhambra was a popular theatre and music hall located on the east side of Leicester Square, in the West End of London. It was built originally as The Royal Panopticon of Science and Arts opening on 18 March 1854. It was closed after two years and reopened as the Alhambra. The building was...
, Leicester Square
Leicester Square
Leicester Square is a pedestrianised square in the West End of London, England. The Square lies within an area bound by Lisle Street, to the north; Charing Cross Road, to the east; Orange Street, to the south; and Whitcomb Street, to the west...
and the Coliseum Theatre
Coliseum Theatre
The London Coliseum is an opera house and major performing venue on St. Martin's Lane, central London. It is one of London's largest and best equipped theatres and opened in 1904, designed by theatrical architect Frank Matcham , for impresario Oswald Stoll...
, whilst still also directing the Midnight Follies and then later, bands at the Devonshire Restaurant and the Carlton Hotel. As well as recording with his band, Firman also produced many recordings with a smaller group called The Rhythmic Eight. The group included such prominent musicians as Sylvester Ahola
Sylvester Ahola
Sylvester Ahola , a.k.a. Hooley, was a classic jazz trumpeter and cornetist born in Gloucester, Massachusetts. He became most popular in England rather than the United States, and first began performing with Frank Ward and His Orchestra...
, Chelsea Quealey
Chelsea Quealey
Chelsea Quealey was an American jazz trumpeter.Quealey began as a reedist but eventually settled on trumpet, playing with Jan Garber in 1925 and the California Ramblers in 1926-27. Between 1927 and 1929 he played in England, on recordings with Fred Elizalde and also in Bert Firman's band. Upon his...
, Frank Guarente, Arthur Lally, Danny Polo
Danny Polo
Danny Polo was an American jazz clarinetist.Polo's father was also a clarinetist, and he learned to play from a young age, working in marching bands from age eight. Claude Thornhill played with Polo as a duo in his youth...
, Max Goldberg and Jack Jackson
Jack Jackson (British radio)
Jack Jackson was a British trumpeter and bandleader who became a highly influential radio disc jockey....
.
In 1929 Firman was given a six-month contract to be a guest conductor at N.B.C.
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
, becoming the first British bandleader to broadcast in America. He then spent some time in Hollywood adding music to a large number of silent films.
Firman then formed a band in London, which he took to Les Ambassadeurs restaurant
Les Ambassadeurs restaurant
Les Ambassadeurs is a restaurant in Paris, France.-Location:It is situated in the Hôtel de Crillon, facing the Place de la Concorde in the heart of the city...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. The band included Sam Costa
Sam Costa
Samuel Gabriel 'Sam' Costa was a singer and a voice actor on the show Much Binding In The Marsh. He was also a Radio Luxembourg and BBC disc jockey.-Life:...
, a young pianist who would later become a singer and actor, as well as Freddy Gardner, a talented British saxophonist. He spent several years in France before returning to London in 1937 to form another band. During this period he broadcast regularly for the B.B.C., and had several series on Radio Luxembourg
Radio Luxembourg (English)
Radio Luxembourg is a commercial broadcaster in many languages from the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. It is nowadays known in most non-English languages as RTL ....
.
At the outbreak of war Firman moved to the Cafe de Paris with a band that included Ivor Mairants
Ivor Mairants
Ivor Mairants was a professional jazz and classical guitarist, teacher and composer.With his wife Lily in 1958 he created Ivor Mairants Musicentre, a specialist guitar store in London that was the first of its kind in the country and is still among the foremost of its kind in the...
and George Melachrino
George Melachrino
George Melachrino was a musician, movie composer, and musical director who was English born of Greek and Italian descent. He was an accomplished player of the violin, viola, oboe, clarinet and saxophone....
. However, after a dispute with the management he walked out. He then joined up with the South Staffordshire Regiment
South Staffordshire Regiment
The South Staffordshire Regiment was an infantry regiment of the British Army formed in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 38th Regiment of Foot and the 80th Regiment of Foot. In 1959 the regiment was amlagamated with the North Staffordshire Regiment to form the Staffordshire Regiment...
. After completing his training he went to Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
, Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
and Persia, with Stars in Battledress
Stars in Battledress
Stars in Battledress ' was an organisation that produced entertainment during World War II for and by military personnel- History :In Britain, during the Second World War, entertainment was considered an essential to keep morale high. In 1939 ENSA was organised by Basil Dean to send groups of...
, an organization dedicated to entertaining the troops. Later the party moved to Europe and crossed the Rhine with the British troops.
After the war Firman was set to lead a band in London again, but was annoyed at being asked to audition for the B.B.C. He therefore went to lead a band in Paris again, where he formed a band at the Bagatelle Club. The band, which included Stephane Grappelli
Stéphane Grappelli
Stéphane Grappelli was a French jazz violinist who founded the Quintette du Hot Club de France with guitarist Django Reinhardt in 1934. It was one of the first all-string jazz bands....
and Django Reinhardt
Django Reinhardt
Django Reinhardt was a pioneering virtuoso jazz guitarist and composer who invented an entirely new style of jazz guitar technique that has since become a living musical tradition within French gypsy culture...
, was to be his last.
Firman finally retired from band leading, partly because the age of the big bands was coming to an end. He withdrew entirely from the music business, working on the London Metal Exchange until he opted for full retirement in 1976. He died on the 9 April 1999.
Sources
- http://www.jabw.demon.co.uk/bertobit.htm