Park Foundation Music App

Home > Artists

Nathan Glantz

Saxophonist and orchestra leader born in Russia on August 20 of 1878. Glantz probably studied the clarinet as a kid in some russian conservatory. He emigrated to Brooklyn, New York, USA on 1904m followed on 1905 by his wife Rebecca & his daughter Dora (Glantz's only child born in Russia. Glantz also had 2 other daughters with Rebecca in New York, USA, which were named Elizabeth & Helan (who later changed her name to Evelyn). It was on USA where he probably took the alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, C-melody saxophone & soprano saxophone & added the bass clarinet, instruments which he later used on his future recordings alongside the clarinet. He made his first recordings on December of 1916 for Victor with [a=Fred Van Eps] & with [a=Wilbur C. Sweatman] for Emerson. It was Sweatman who latter influenced on Glantz's playing, and it would be a bit evident when on 1919 he recorded "Dardanella" for Victor & Paramount as sideman with [a=Ben Selvin] and his band, where he played the melody. In addition to work with Selvin & Van Eps, Glantz also worked with other bandleaders such as [a=Sam Lanin], [a=Dave Kaplan (2)], [a=Domenico Savino], [a=Max Terr], [a=Louis Katzman], his cousin [a=Harry Raderman], [a=Emil Coleman] (sides made for the canadian branch of HMV), [a=Justin Ring], [a=Charlie Fry] (leader of [a=Charlie Fry And His Million Dollar Pier Orchestra]), the [a=Rega Dance Orchestra] (which also recorded in Canada as the [a=Rega Orchestra]), & of course, [a=Joseph Samuels] (who featured him in a lot of recordings of his dance band since at least early 1921). Glantz also backed several vocalists [a=Mamie Smith], [a=Sophie Tucker], [a=Frankie Marvin] (as Frankie Wallace for Edison), [a=Blossom Seeley], [a= Vaughn De Leath], [a=Oscar Grogan], [a=Will Donaldson], [a=J. Donald Parker], [a=Byron G. Harlan] & [a=Seger Ellis]. Glantz also led his own orchestra from 1921 to 1931, and it included several noted sidemen such as trumpeters [a=Jules Levy Jr.], [a=Julius Berkin], [a=Hymie Farberman], [a=Earl Oliver], [a=Jack Stillman] & [a=Irving Peskin], cornet player [a=Red Nichols], trombonists [a=Eph Hannaford] & [a=Sam Lewis (5)], saxophonists & clarinet players [a=Joseph Samuels], [a=Larry Abbott], [a=Lucien Smith] & [a=Ken "Goof" Moyer], pianists [a=Larry Briers] & [a=Bill Perry (9)], banjoists [a=John Cali] & [a=Harry Reser] & drummers [a=George Hamilton Green] & [a=Joe Green]. Glantz's band recorded both under his name and several pseudonyms for a huge variety of labels such as Columbia (including his budget labels Harmony, Diva & Velvet Tone as the Manhattan Dance Makers (previously attributed to Ben Selvin, but its only connection with Selvin is the presence of some of his sidemen with Glantz (after all, Glantz worked with Selvin's band)), Okeh, the Plaza group (later renamed ARC), Emerson (including sides issued on Grey Gull before they opened their own studio on mid 1926), the New York Recording Laboratories group (including Paramount, Puritan, etc.), Edison, Gennett & Pathé Actuelle. He also employed for his band the arranging work of [a=Max Terr], [a=Jack Stillman] & [a=Bill Perry (9)]. He also led [a=The Florida Four] quartet that featured [a=Dave Kaplan (2)] & [a=Harry Reser] alongside an unknown accordionist & recorded for Edison as well, Glantz died in Brooklyn, New York on August 6 of 1937, although Mark Berresford's biography of Wilbur C. Sweatman "That's Got 'em!: The Life and Music of Wilbur C. Sweatman" states that Glantz died on 1945.