Dajos Béla

Dajos Bela ( born December 19, 1897 in Kiev, Russian Empire (now Ukraine ); † December 5, 1978 in La Falda, Argentina; actually Лев Гольцман (Leon / Lew Golzmann ), as an artist name Sándor Józsi ), was a Russian violinist and dance band leader.

Life

Leon Golzmann was born the son of a Ukrainian Jew and a Hungarian. He learned, however he wanted to be a lawyer, playing the violin and has performed with nine years at a concert in Kiev. He was a soldier in the First World War, 1914-18; then he studied in Moscow with Prof. Michajl press and in Berlin with Prof. Issay Barmas violin. For livelihood, he played in small venues in the North of Berlin; by Orel Mike he got there his stage name " Dajos Béla ", " inherited" from a fellow musician, who died of drug. However, it is likely that Dajos was the birth name of Béla's mother, who died when he was still a child. The Carl Lindström AG, where from 1920 he recorded records ( brands: Odeon, Parlophone and Beka ), demanded a Hungarian artist name: many recording artist of the time wore Hungarian and Romanian names or pseudonyms ( cf. Take Bănescu, Arpad Városz and Jenő Fesca at Homocord, Giorgi Vintilescu, Nicu Vladescu and Joan Florescu for Grammophon ). At ODEON labels of the acoustic era was in addition to the title of " artist 's Chapel " still listed as " Dajos Béla, violins Primate " to underline the Hungarian flair; also marketed it to the Lindström Group on the same ODEON label even as Sándor Józsi. Even the audience from the imperial period of the Dual Monarchy, Romanian or Hungarian, gypsy - primate had remained liable as entertainment musician in mind; until the mid- 1920s should also transform the image of entertainers with the changed economic and political situation.

In the early 1920s he founded in Berlin his Salon Orchestra, with whom he was soon obliged to Lindström Group. His repertoire included not only dance music, a large number of light classical music by composers such as Johann Strauss or Erik Meyer- Helmund. But you heard him often as soloists challenging classical works. Béla's Orchestra belonged alongside those of Paul Godwin and Marek Weber Germany's most successful bands. His plates were millions exported all over the world. Mid-1920s, in the first heyday of jazz music, Béla, like many of his colleagues were to find great effort talented musician and had in 1927 an internationally staffed ensemble with musicians such as pianist and singer Rex Allen and the banjo player Mike Danzi. The ensemble took a rotating cast also under the name of The Odeon Five, Mac's Jazz Orchestra and Clive Williams Jazz Band records on.

With the advent of the talkies Béla also took the opportunity to perform with his band in movies. So you saw him, among other things in 1931 "Everyone asks Erika " and in the following years including " A song, a kiss, a girl " and " Gitta discovered her heart ". His chapel was parallel to popular records companions known film actors like Marta Eggert or Max Hansen. Already in the 1920s, Béla chapel also worked for the radio and liked to hear the great Berlin hotels Nobel.

Béla was a Jew. When in the spring of 1933 the Nazis came to power, he went on tour, first to Holland, then to Paris to the renowned " Monseigneur " and from London to the "Palladium". In Vienna he was in the 1935 talkie " dance music " with. In 1935, he was offered a contract by Radio Splendid in Buenos Aires to perform there with his orchestra. On March 2, he left from Boulogne -sur -Mer with several members of his orchestra Europe and returned to the early 70s not go back to Berlin. Dajos Béla made ​​quickly recordings and was active for radio and film. After the end of his involvement with Radio Splendid, he moved over to Radio El Mundo, where for years he led a daily radio program. He also played in several dance cafés, including the Richmond and El Galeon. Thanks to its success, he was able to allow multiple endangered Jewish musicians from Europe to emigrate, by requesting them to complete contracts to perform with him and his orchestra. Thank he so saved his life. The Hungarian singer Tino Dani was one of them. Although Béla's great love of classical music was ( he mastered such as the Violin Concerto by Tchaikovsky from memory ), he never meant to devote themselves to their career came.

Béla lived in Olivos in Buenos Aires Province. He continued his career after 1945 in Argentina continued, but found it, how to get many other musicians, and more difficult commitment. Just as in other countries also disappeared the live music from the coffee houses in Buenos Aires. Béla could still hold a few years with engagements at weddings and on cruise ships afloat, but also heard this at some point on. At the invitation of the Senate of Berlin he once again came to Germany for a visit and received honors. Dajos Béla died at the age of 80 years, 14 days before his 81st birthday, in La Falda, a mountain resort in Argentina, where he stayed for recreation. He is buried in the Jewish cemetery of La Tablada, Buenos Aires.

Discography (selection)

• Waitin 'For The Moon / Farewell, Mimi ( Shimmy ) ( Odeon 0-1921 )
• Humming / spree - Peter ( Intermezzo ) ( Odeon A 71942 ), 1921
• Radio Tango / Foxtrot opera in Potpourri form ( Odeon 49039 ), 1925
• (as Merton Chapel ): Dinah / Sevilla ( Beka B.6071 ), 1926
• Who? ( "You! When you're with me ?") / Two red roses, a tender kiss ( Odeon 0-2087 ), January 1927
• Flibbertigibbets / Sleeping Beauty Brautfahrt ( Odeon 0-2101 ), 1927
• Santa Lucia / Venezia ( Odeon 0-2122 ), 1927
• Dog och Katt / Ref sång ( Odeon D- 4948 ), 1929
• Do you know the little house on Lake Michigan / Anna Aurora ( Odeon D- 4975 ), 1929
• (as Odeon Dance Orchestra and vocals): In Sanssouci, where the old mill stands ( Odeon O- 11301 ), 1929
• ( with Leo Frank (vocals ) ): In the rose garden of Sanssouci, 1930