[78-L] A Backward Glantz

[simmonssomer]

My goodness! I just looked in my ADBD and Glantz has 36 pages under his own 
name. An important recording presence, one might say.(in his day)

Al Simmons

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Harold Aherne" <leotolstoy_75 at yahoo.com>
To: <78-L at 78online.com>
Sent: Wednesday, October 08, 2008 11:07 AM
Subject: [78-L] A Backward Glantz


The entry for Nathan Glantz in the Big Band Database gives his birth year as 
"ca. 1860", which I found surprising--that would make him 8 years older than 
Charles Prince and 17 years older than Billy Murray. Obviously it isn't 
impossible that he was in his 60s when he made his dance band recordings, 
it's just a little unexpected.

I did some research on my own, starting with the census records of 1900 and 
1910. In the latter census I found whom I believe to be the gentlemen who 
made all those peppy sides between 1921 and 1931. He was a musician, age 31, 
who immigrated in 1904. He was 41 in the 1920 census, which allows us to 
narrow the window of his birth between April 1878 and January 1879. His 
wife's name was Rebecca, and by 1930 they had 3 daughters and 2 sons, ages 
10 to 23.

On 19 April 1922 he appeared over WJZ on an broadcast called "Party Night", 
organised by Okeh. Fred Hager played several dance tunes, followed by 
standard selections from Okeh's vocal roster. Glantz was on hand for a 
saxophone solo of "Step Along". He continued to make regular broadcasts 
throughout the 20s. I haven't heard an enormous number of his records, but 
those I've listened to have always been enjoyable and well-arranged.

-Harold