Leonard William Hambro, known as Lenny Hambro (October 16, 1923 – September 26, 1995), was a journeyman
jazz musician
This is a list of jazz musicians by instrument based on existing articles on Wikipedia. Do not enter names that lack articles. Do not enter names that lack sources.
Accordion
* Kamil Běhounek (1916–1983)
* Luciano Biondini (born 1971)
* A ...
who played woodwinds, primarily
alto saxophone, with a host of bands, orchestras, and jazz notables from the early 1940s through the mid-1960s, and continued as a session musician, music producer, booking agent, and entertainment coordinator through the mid-1990s. Early in his professional career, Hambro spelled his name "Lennie" but changed it to the former spelling in 1954, although he was occasionally referred to as "Lennie" in the press as late as 1957. Hambro broke into the profession with
Gene Krupa
Eugene Bertram Krupa (January 15, 1909 – October 16, 1973), known as Gene Krupa, was an American jazz drummer, bandleader and composer who performed with energy and showmanship. His drum solo on Benny Goodman's 1937 recording of " Sing, Sing, ...
in 1942. However, he is best known for his time as manager and assistant band leader with the New
Glenn Miller Orchestra under the direction of
Ray McKinley
Ray McKinley (June 18, 1910 – May 7, 1995) was an American jazz drummer, singer, and bandleader. He played drums and later led the Major Glenn Miller Army Air Forces Orchestra in Europe. He also led the new Glenn Miller Orchestra in 1956.
...
. He was well known in the
Latin Jazz
Latin jazz is a genre of jazz with Latin American rhythms. The two main categories are Afro-Cuban jazz, rhythmically based on Cuban popular dance music, with a rhythm section employing ostinato patterns or a clave, and Afro-Brazilian jazz, which ...
community and was closely associated with
Chico O’Farrill
Arturo "Chico" O'Farrill (October 28, 1921 – June 27, 2001) was a Cuban composer, arranger, and conductor, best known for his work in the Latin idiom, specifically Afro-Cuban jazz or "Cubop", although he also composed traditional jazz pieces a ...
.
Of Dutch Jewish heritage and the son of a diamond setter, Hambro was born in
the Bronx
The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...
in October 1923 and lived in, or in the vicinity of
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
for the majority of his life. He married songstress Lynn Michels of
Chester, Pennsylvania
Chester is a city in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. Located within the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area, it is the only city in Delaware County and had a population of 32,605 as of the 2020 census.
Incorporated in 1682, Chester i ...
, in 1960, and together they raised two boys, Lee and Larry. Hambro died of a blood clot following
open-heart surgery in September 1995, at
Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey
Egg Harbor Township is a township in Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The U.S. Census Bureau in the 2020 census reported the population as 47,842, an increase of 4,519 over the 43,323 counted in the previous decade in the 20 ...
. During his lifetime, he worked over 80 recording sessions and appears as either a leader or sideman on nearly 100 LPs / CDs released in the U.S, as well as numerous foreign titles.
Early life
Lenny Hambro was born on October 16, 1923 to Harry and Rose (née Levine) Hambro in the
Bronx, New York, the younger of two children. Lenny lived with his parents and older sister, Adelaide, in an apartment at 984 Sheridan Avenue - just a few blocks northeast of old
Yankee Stadium
Yankee Stadium is a baseball stadium located in the Bronx, New York City. It is the home field of the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball, and New York City FC of Major League Soccer.
Opened in April 2009, the stadium replaced the orig ...
, which was completed the year of his birth. His father worked as a diamond polisher and setter. His mother, who played ragtime piano in the home, died of breast cancer when Hambro was just 12.
[Segal (Hambro), Adelaide. Interview, November 29, 2007.] Hambro graduated from
James Monroe High School (later Bronx Little School) in the
Soundview
Soundview is a neighborhood on the Clason Point peninsula, on the southern section of the borough of the Bronx in New York City. Its boundaries, starting from the north and moving clockwise, are the Cross-Bronx Expressway to the north, White Plai ...
section of the Bronx in 1941 (where
Stan Getz would begin as a reluctant, periodic student just a year later).
[Martin, Justin (2000). ''The Man Behind Money''. Cambridge, Mass.: Perseus Publishing. ] After his father's death from pneumonia when Lenny was 28, Hambro largely lived "out of a suitcase", but, when in New York, stayed with older sister, Adelaide, and her husband, Harold, in the Bronx, until his marriage in 1960.
Musical training
As a teenager, Hambro pestered his father for a trumpet, but it was his brother-in-law, Harold Segal (older sister Adelaide's husband), who introduced 15-year-old Hambro to woodwinds, giving him a soprano saxophone and introductory music lessons. (Harold Segal played both the tenor saxophone and clarinet semi-professionally with an Irish band for a time.) By all accounts, Hambro quickly eclipsed his brother-in-law, taking every music class in which he could enroll.
As a high school student, Hambro took private lessons from Bill Sheiner, one of the leading music teachers and session musicians in New York City. Sheiner taught in a studio behind the Bronx Musical Mart at 174th Street and Southern Boulevard, between Lenny's school and home. (
Stan Getz and future
Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board
The chair of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System is the head of the Federal Reserve, and is the active executive officer of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. The chair shall preside at the meetings of the Boa ...
,
Alan Greenspan
Alan Greenspan (born March 6, 1926) is an American economist who served as the 13th chairman of the Federal Reserve from 1987 to 2006. He works as a private adviser and provides consulting for firms through his company, Greenspan Associates LLC. ...
, were fellow students of Sheiner.) Sheiner played multiple instruments - clarinet, saxophone, flute, and oboe - and most of his students were trying to simultaneously learn two similar instruments. Sheiner employed two books that are still standard texts: ''The Universal Complete Saxophone Method'', and ''Klosé Complete Clarinet Method''.
During this period, Sheiner, who had worked in Shep Fields' all-saxophone band, decided to build his own all-sax band with eight of his students. With Sheiner as frontman, and a drummer, pianist, and bassist, the band included both Lenny and Stan Getz as well as Sol Schlinger, Irving Frank, Red Press, Jerry Grosser, Stan Yuden and Alan Kimmel. The band worked up some arrangements and auditioned for Maria Kramer, who owned both the Lincoln and Edison hotels (both featured dance bands) but the WWII draft intervened and the band quickly disbanded.
[Wasserman, Herb (2000). ''A Different Drummer: What Makes Me Tic, A Memoir''. Lincoln, Nebraska: Writers Club Press, iUniverse.com, Inc. ] During his later high-school years, Hambro played alto sax, tenor sax, clarinet, and flute in an assortment of teen dance bands, including a summer in the
Catskills
The Catskill Mountains, also known as the Catskills, are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Mountains, located in southeastern New York. As a cultural and geographic region, the Catskills are generally defined as those areas c ...
, playing occasional gigs in the evenings, while working as a lifeguard during the day at a resort hotel pool.
(Years later, Hambro would return to the Catskills, playing with
Machito
Machito (born Francisco Raúl Gutiérrez Grillo, December 3, 1909 – April 15, 1984) was a Latin jazz musician who helped refine Afro-Cuban jazz and create both Cubop and salsa music. Ginell, Richard S. ''Biography''. Allmusic, 2011/ref> He w ...
's Orchestra at the Concord Resort Hotel, and during another summer, had his own quintet in the lounge.)
Career - the early years
1942 - 1954
During the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...
, many professional musicians enlisted and served in military bands. As a result, there were occasional openings in established commercial bands. Thus, at just 18 years of age, Hambro auditioned for an empty seat in Gene Krupa's band. His audition included playing "American Bolero", a piece written in 5/4 time, a complex meter that was quite progressive in Western music at the time. Although initially skeptical, Krupa and trumpeter
Roy Eldridge
David Roy Eldridge (January 30, 1911 – February 26, 1989), nicknamed "Little Jazz", was an American jazz trumpeter. His sophisticated use of harmony, including the use of tritone substitutions, his virtuosic solos exhibiting a departure from ...
were impressed and called Hambro at home the next day to tell him that he had secured the job and to schedule him for a
tuxedo
Black tie is a semi-formal Western dress code for evening events, originating in British and American conventions for attire in the 19th century. In British English, the dress code is often referred to synecdochically by its principal element ...
fitting. On October 28, 1942, two weeks after his 19th birthday, Hambro was on stage with the Gene Krupa Band at the Times Square Paramount Theater.
However, he left the band in December of that year for the Army and joined Ivan Mogul,
Shorty Rogers
Milton "Shorty" Rogers (born Milton Rajonsky; April 14, 1924 – November 7, 1994) was an American jazz musician, one of the principal creators of West Coast jazz. He played trumpet and flugelhorn and was in demand for his skills as an arrang ...
and approximately 40 other musicians from the Bronx who had agreed to man the 379th Army Service Forces (ASF) Band in Newport News, Virginia, where he stayed for three years.
[Arkin, Herb. Arkin/Hambro Genealogy Home Page. April 20, 2005.] From 1946 to 1947, Hambro was a featured soloist with
Billy Butterfield and his orchestra; recording with him in 1946. In 1947, he played with
Bobby Byrne before rejoining Gene Krupa as lead alto sax and featured jazz soloist through 1950. (Hambro, along with tenor saxophonist Buddy Wise and trombonist
Frank Rosolino
Frank Rosolino (August 20, 1926 – November 26, 1978) was an American jazz trombonist.
Biography
Rosolino was born in Detroit, Michigan, United States, He performed with the big bands of Bob Chester, Glen Gray, Tony Pastor, Herbie Fields, Ge ...
, is featured in a 15-minute film short, ''Deep Purple'', directed by Will Cowan in 1949, which focused on Gene Krupa and His Orchestra.) In addition to playing with Krupa, Hambro simultaneously played in other bands, including the Latin jazz ensembles of
Vincent Lopez
Vincent Lopez (December 30, 1895 – September 20, 1975) was an American bandleader, actor, and pianist.
Early life and career
Vincent Lopez was born of Portuguese immigrant parents in Brooklyn, New York City, United States, Distinguished Am ...
and Pupi Campo. In 1948, Hambro toured with
Machito
Machito (born Francisco Raúl Gutiérrez Grillo, December 3, 1909 – April 15, 1984) was a Latin jazz musician who helped refine Afro-Cuban jazz and create both Cubop and salsa music. Ginell, Richard S. ''Biography''. Allmusic, 2011/ref> He w ...
and his Afro-Cuban Orchestra where he was featured as a soloist on alto sax. From 1951 to 1952, Hambro played with and managed the
Ray McKinley
Ray McKinley (June 18, 1910 – May 7, 1995) was an American jazz drummer, singer, and bandleader. He played drums and later led the Major Glenn Miller Army Air Forces Orchestra in Europe. He also led the new Glenn Miller Orchestra in 1956.
...
Band. From 1951 to 1954, he also played and recorded with Chico O'Farrill's orchestra, with a year off (1952) to tour with The Gene Krupa Orchestra. From 1948 until 1954, he recorded with all of these artists as well as with
Charlie Ventura
Charlie Ventura (born Charles Venturo; December 2, 1916 – January 17, 1992) was an American tenor saxophonist and bandleader from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States.
Career
During the 1940s, Ventura played saxophone for the bands o ...
's orchestra and
Joe Loco
José Estevez Jr. (March 27, 1921 in New York City - March 7, 1988), professionally known as Joe Loco, was a Latin jazz and Latin pop pianist and arranger of Puerto Rican ancestry.
Life
Loco, maybe born José Estevez Jr. but officially known as ...
's band. During this period (1951–1956), Hambro also accompanied vocalists at the Paramount Theater, did studio work, worked as a music copyist, and taught private lessons. He continued to hone his own skills by studying clarinet with Leon Russianoff and flute with Henry Zlotnick, both of the Manhattan School of Music.
[Feather, Leonard & Gitler, Ira (1999). ''The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz''. New York: Oxford University Press. ]
The Lenny Hambro Quintet
In 1954, Lenny formed the Lenny Hambro Quintet. Over the next two years, the members of the quintet alternately included
Wade Legge
Wade Legge (February 4, 1934, Huntington, West Virginia – August 29, 1963, Buffalo, New York) was an American jazz pianist and bassist.
Wade Legge was born in Huntington, West Virginia, but soon thereafter moved to Buffalo, New York with ...
, Rene Hernandez,
Eddie Costa
Edwin James Costa (August 14, 1930 – July 28, 1962) was an American jazz pianist, vibraphonist, composer and arranger. In 1957, he was chosen as ''DownBeat'' jazz critics' new star on piano and vibes – the first time that one artist won two ...
, or
Hank Jones on piano;
Dick Garcia
Dick Garcia (born May 31, 1931) is an American jazz guitarist.
Career
Garcia began to play the guitar aged nine. In 1950, he was a member of Tony Scott's quartet. From 1952, he worked with George Shearing, Charlie Parker, Joe Roland, Milt Buckne ...
,
Sal Salvador
Sal Salvador (November 21, 1925 – September 22, 1999) was an American bebop jazz guitarist and a prominent music educator.
He was born in Monson, Massachusetts, United States, and began his professional career in New York City. He eventually m ...
, or
Barry Galbraith
Joseph Barry Galbraith (December 18, 1919 – January 13, 1983) was an American jazz guitarist.
Galbraith moved to New York City from McDonald, PA in the early 1940s and found work playing with Babe Russin, Art Tatum, Red Norvo, Hal McIntyre, an ...
on guitar; Louis Barretto, Clyde Lombardi or
Arnold Fishkind on bass;
Eddie Bert
Edward Joseph Bertolatus (May 16, 1922 – September 27, 2012), also known as Eddie Bert, was an American jazz trombonist.
Music career
He was born in Yonkers, New York, United States. Bert received a degree and a teaching license from the Manha ...
on trombone; Mel Zelnick, Harold Granowsky, Gus Johnson Jr., or Sid Bulkin on drums; Jose Mangual, Ubaldo Nieto, and Ray "Mongo" Santamaria on Bongos/Congas; and
Babs Gonzales' vocals. As a quartet, quintet, or sextet, a Lenny Hambro-led and named ensemble would continue as a group through 1964. Hambro's first two albums, both released in 1954, were largely ignored by both the public and the music industry. His later albums (released in 1955 and 1956) received mediocre reviews. Gramophone criticized Hambro as "a thoroughly competent dance-band musician who obviously believes he is playing jazz," and for "blantant copying" of
Charlie Parker
Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz saxophonist, band leader and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of bebop, a form ...
's phrasing. These uncredited reviews directly contrasted with a
George T. Simon Metronome review of a
Gene Krupa
Eugene Bertram Krupa (January 15, 1909 – October 16, 1973), known as Gene Krupa, was an American jazz drummer, bandleader and composer who performed with energy and showmanship. His drum solo on Benny Goodman's 1937 recording of " Sing, Sing, ...
Band engagement at New York City's Bop City in March 1950, where the typically stingy Simon credited the band with "a good sax quintet, thanks in part to Lenny Hambro's lead". In any case, Hambro would release no further recordings as a bandleader or headliner.
1955–1964
In 1955, Hambro again played in and managed the Ray McKinley Band. In 1956, Willard Alexander persuaded the Glenn Miller Estate to sponsor a new Glenn Miller Orchestra (GMO) with McKinley as its leader. Hambro was asked to reorganize the band and he functioned as both manager and assistant leader. The band played arrangements of old Miller favorites including the original music and more contemporary hits. The orchestra was very successful, performing on television and travelling the world. In addition to being a featured soloist, Hambro and his quintet, formed from other members of the GMO, were a featured act with the orchestra. The band toured the United States routinely during this period as well as England, Poland, "
Iron Curtain" Europe, and North Africa in 1957 and 1958, where they played at U.S. military facilities and Embassies; and Japan twice in the early 1960s.
Lenny was with the New Glenn Miller Orchestra for eight years, during which time they played a live 13-week summer replacement show on CBS ("Glenn Miller Time", 1961; broadcast from the Ed Sullivan Theater in NYC; see ''External links''), and the NBC Bandstand on both radio and television, and cut seven albums for RCA Victor. During this period, Lenny lived on 77th Road in
Kew Gardens Hills
Kew Gardens Hills is a neighborhood in the middle of the New York City borough of Queens. The borders are Flushing Meadows-Corona Park to the west, the Long Island Expressway to the north, Union Turnpike to the south, and Parsons Boulevard to t ...
in
Queens
Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...
[Michels-Hambro, Lynn. Interview, March 23, 2008.] where his friend, composer and pianist
Eddie Costa
Edwin James Costa (August 14, 1930 – July 28, 1962) was an American jazz pianist, vibraphonist, composer and arranger. In 1957, he was chosen as ''DownBeat'' jazz critics' new star on piano and vibes – the first time that one artist won two ...
, was a neighbor.
Marriage
After a brief 1957 engagement to GMO vocalist Lorry Peters, Hambro met vocalist and beauty queen Lynn Michels in 1958, when he was 34 and she was 18. Michels, born Charlotte Joyce Wexler, was from
Chester, Pennsylvania
Chester is a city in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. Located within the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area, it is the only city in Delaware County and had a population of 32,605 as of the 2020 census.
Incorporated in 1682, Chester i ...
. She was on stage from an early age, working alongside a number of Pennsylvania-based acts, including
The Four Aces
The Four Aces are an American male traditional pop quartet popular since the 1950s. Over the last half-century, the group amassed many gold records. Its million-selling songs include " Love is a Many-Splendored Thing", " Three Coins in the Fo ...
and
Bill Haley and the Comets
Bill Haley & His Comets were an American rock and roll band founded in 1947 that continued until Haley's death in 1981. The band was also known as Bill Haley and the Comets and Bill Haley's Comets. From late 1954 to late 1956, the group record ...
. At age 10, she took first place during an appearance on
Paul Whiteman
Paul Samuel Whiteman (March 28, 1890 – December 29, 1967) was an American bandleader, composer, orchestral director, and violinist.
As the leader of one of the most popular dance bands in the United States during the 1920s and early 1930s, W ...
's Philadelphia-based Saturday morning talent show, TV Teen Club (an indirect predecessor to
American Bandstand). Later, she was a regular on the Sunday morning children's talent show,
The Horn and Hardart Children's Hour
''The Horn and Hardart Children's Hour'' (later known as ''The Children's Hour'') was a variety show with a cast of children, including some who later became well-known adult performers. It had a long run for more than three decades. The program w ...
, hosted by Stan Lee Broza on WCAU TV in Philadelphia and broadcast on WNBT TV in New York. While still in High School, Michels sang with the Al Raymond big band, playing the many ballrooms and lounges in the Tri-State area, as well as performing for weddings, ballroom dances, and senior proms at many Tri-State area high schools and colleges. However, the band's steady gig was Sunday nights at Upper Darby's St. Alice's Social Center.
[Michels-Hambro, Lynn. E-mail to Charles Hart, November 9, 2008.] When she met Hambro in 1958, Michels was in her senior year of high school and singing with Al Raymond. She was introduced to Hambro by the manager of the El Rancho Club in Woodlyn, Pennsylvania, where she had gone to see Ray McKinley's Glenn Miller Orchestra.
[Bill Kagler. "Up Top for Today", ''Delaware County Daily Times'', July 26, 1960.] Hambro called her later that year to invite her to a GMO performance at a ballroom in Philadelphia. That evening, Hambro told her that he would pursue and marry her, but it was an extended and often long-distance courtship. When Michels graduated from high school, she went to work for the
Matys Brothers, a
rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music. It dates back to the early 1950s in the United States, especially the South. As a genre it blends the sound of Western musical styles such as country with that of rhythm and blu ...
and later polka band from the Philadelphia area that was part of
Bill Haley
William John Clifton Haley (; July 6, 1925 – February 9, 1981) was an American rock and roll musician. He is credited by many with first popularizing this form of music in the early 1950s with his group Bill Haley & His Comets and million-sel ...
's stable. She would be with them until June 1960, touring the U.S. and Canada, while continuing to see Hambro when she could. Hambro and Michels were engaged July 23, 1960, after a GMO gig at the Brandywine Music Box
and married on November 5, 1960, at The Wynne catering hall on North 54th Street in Philadelphia (Wynnefield), with Ray McKinley as their best man, and Ray's wife, Gretchen, looking on.
They moved into an apartment at 159-15 83rd Avenue in
Kew Gardens
Kew Gardens is a botanic garden in southwest London that houses the "largest and most diverse botanical and mycological collections in the world". Founded in 1840, from the exotic garden at Kew Park, its living collections include some of the ...
, Queens, New York. Son, Larry was born in the late summer of 1961, followed by brother Lee, in the winter of 1963.
Career – the later years
Booking agent
Beginning in 1964, Hambro worked as a booking agent for Willard Alexander, at the Willard Alexander Inc. agency, which specialized in booking famous big bands. Their clients included Maynard Ferguson,
Buddy Rich
Bernard "Buddy" Rich (September 30, 1917 – April 2, 1987) was an American jazz drummer, songwriter, conductor, and bandleader. He is considered one of the most influential drummers of all time.
Rich was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, ...
and
Artie Shaw
Artie Shaw (born Arthur Jacob Arshawsky; May 23, 1910 – December 30, 2004) was an American clarinetist, composer, bandleader, actor and author of both fiction and non-fiction.
Widely regarded as "one of jazz's finest clarinetists", Shaw led ...
; the
Count Basie
William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and the ...
Band, and the
Duke Ellington,
Guy Lombardo
Gaetano Alberto "Guy" Lombardo (June 19, 1902 – November 5, 1977) was an Italian-Canadian-American bandleader, violinist, and hydroplane racer.
Lombardo formed the Royal Canadians in 1924 with his brothers Carmen, Lebert and Victor, and oth ...
,
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 ...
,
Jimmy Dorsey
James Francis Dorsey (February 29, 1904 – June 12, 1957) was an American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, composer and big band leader. He recorded and composed the jazz and pop standards " I'm Glad There Is You (In This World of Ordinary Peop ...
and
Russ Morgan
Russell Morgan (April 29, 1904 – August 7, 1969) was an American big band leader and arranger during the 1930s and 1940s. He was best known for being the one of the composers of the song "You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You", with Larry Stock ...
Orchestras. During this period, Hambro continued both teaching and studio work, playing on recordings of
The Spinners,
Cissy Houston (
Whitney Houston
Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer and actress. Nicknamed " The Voice", she is one of the bestselling music artists of all time, with sales of over 200 million records worldwide. Houston i ...
's mother), Marlene Ver Planck,
Bobby Hutcherson and his old friend
Chico O'Farrill
Arturo "Chico" O'Farrill (October 28, 1921 – June 27, 2001) was a Cuban composer, arranger, and conductor, best known for his work in the Latin idiom, specifically Afro-Cuban jazz or "Cubop", although he also composed traditional jazz pieces a ...
. In 1967, Hambro signed on with
Don Elliott
Don Elliott Helfman (October 21, 1926 – July 5, 1984) was an American jazz trumpeter, vibraphonist, vocalist, and mellophone player. Elliott recorded over 60 albums and 5,000 advertising jingles throughout his career.
Career
Elliott played ...
and Don Elliott Productions, producing music for commercials, cartoons, documentaries, and film. That year, Hambro and Michels, with their sons, moved from New York City to Old Bridge, New Jersey, where they bought their first house and would live for the next 15 years.
Advertising and movies
In the late summer of 1967, after a break with Elliott, Hambro and virtuoso violist Emanuel Vardi set up shop as "Hambro and Vardi" at 119 West 59th Street in NYC, producing advertising spots or entire campaigns for companies such as Putnam Coffee, Chun King, Wearing Blender, Lux Liquid, and Diet Imperial Margarine. In addition, the firm did new logos for RKO General, Westinghouse, and Benson & Hedges. They also produced sales films for American Airlines and U.S. Plywood. Further, they did original music for radio and television advertisements, such as the "
Coke Is It" campaign and
Life Savers
Life Savers (stylized as LifeSavers) is an American brand of ring-shaped hard and soft candy. Its range of mints and fruit-flavored candies is known for its distinctive packaging, coming in paper-wrapped aluminum foil rolls.
Candy manufacturer ...
' "A Part of Living". The pair shared in three CLIOs for Best Television/Cinema advertisement (
Buitoni
Buitoni () is an Italian food company based in Sansepolcro. It was founded in 1827. They are known for their factory-produced products of pasta and sauces.
In 1985, the Buitoni family sold the company to Carlo De Benedetti; in 1988, it was acqu ...
Sauce - 1969;
Frigidaire
Frigidaire Appliance Company is the American consumer and commercial home appliances brand subsidiary of multinational company Electrolux.
Frigidaire was founded as the Guardian Frigerator Company in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and developed the first s ...
Range - 1974; Life Savers -1977). Hambro also wrote, produced, recorded the music for, and acted in an early TV advertisement for
Girl Scout Cookies: "The Cookies Are Here". In addition to writing ad "
jingle
A jingle is a short song or tune used in advertising and for other commercial uses. Jingles are a form of sound branding. A jingle contains one or more hooks and meaning that explicitly promote the product or service being advertised, usually ...
s", in 1970, the team broke into film, composing original music for the feature film ''Dirtymouth'' (about
Lenny Bruce). Additionally, Vardi composed the music for the film ''This Is America'', with a sextet led by Hambro performing a number of jazz selections. The duo also did industrial films including shorts for TWA and Eastman-Kodak. In 1972, Vardi and Hambro worked with
Bill Daly
William "Bill" L. Daly III (born May 1, 1964) is an American attorney and the current deputy commissioner and chief legal officer of the National Hockey League (NHL) under Commissioner Gary Bettman. He is also a Hockey Hall of Fame board membe ...
to orchestrate the sound for the film ''Toys Are Not For Children''. Vardi and Hambro continued their collaboration until the summer of 1976, when Vardi left so that he could spend more time performing. Hambro continued on his own with Lenny Hambro Productions, Inc., located at 1650 Broadway in NYC. The company drew on the talents of fellow writers Jeff Hest, Anne Bryant, and Manny Album. Meanwhile, Hambro reworked the music for the Bachman Pretzels campaign, wrote music for a 60-second spot for PartsPost, and wrote several spots for the Commonwealth Bank of Detroit. Hambro was still in the advertising and music production business as late as 1984 with Lenny Hambro Productions operating from an office on Oak Avenue in Lynwood, New Jersey. He also offered his services as an arranger and composer, with pianist and composer Lou Forestieri providing scoring services. His clients included ad agencies and film houses. However, by this time, much of the music, television, and film business had moved to California, and, thus, business was not good.
Working musician
Hambro continued working the clubs of New York City, Philadelphia, and Miami, and played the famed Rainbow Grill in midtown Manhattan during 1968–69 with a small combo led by old friend, Ray McKinley. In addition, when in Miami, he played with Tyree Glenn's group. In 1970, Hambro led and managed the orchestra for vocalist
Warren Covington
Warren Covington (August 7, 1921 – August 24, 1999) was an American big band trombonist. He was active as a session musician, arranger, and bandleader throughout his career.
Biography
Covington, who was born in Philadelphia, played early o ...
and did two half-hour specials on CBS television in the fall, before returning to work as a booking agent in 1971. Through his film industry connections, Hambro, a member of the
Screen Actors Guild
The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) was an American labor union which represented over 100,000 film and television principal and background performers worldwide. On March 30, 2012, the union leadership announced that the SAG membership voted to m ...
, was given a short uncredited cameo as a bandleader in the 1973 Paramount Pictures' film ''
Serpico
''Serpico'' is a 1973 American neo-noir biographical crime drama film directed by Sidney Lumet and starring Al Pacino in the title role. The screenplay was adapted by Waldo Salt and Norman Wexler from the book of the same name written by ...
'', starring
Al Pacino.
[''Schenectady Gazette'', June 26, 1978.] In 1975–76, Lenny found regular work in the orchestra pits of Broadway. He was co-Musical Director - with Howlett Smith - of the
Broadway
Broadway may refer to:
Theatre
* Broadway Theatre (disambiguation)
* Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
** Broadway (Manhattan), the street
**Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
musical revue ''
Me and Bessie'' with Linda Hopkins. It opened at the Ambassador Theatre on October 22, 1975, transferring to the Edison Theatre on December 3, 1975, where it remained until December 5, 1976, a run of 453 performances, a record for the longest-running one-woman show in Broadway history until "
Golda's Balcony
''Golda's Balcony'' is a play by William Gibson.
It follows the trajectory of the life of Golda Meir from Russian immigrant to American schoolteacher to a leader of international politics as the fourth Prime Minister of Israel. Much of its fo ...
", starring
Tovah Feldshuh
Terri Sue "Tovah" Feldshuh (born December 27, 1948) is an American actress, singer, and playwright. She has been a Broadway star for more than four decades, earning four Tony Award nominations. She has also received two Emmy Award nominations f ...
, surpassed it. In 1978, Hambro was with The New York Jazz Repertory Company under the direction of Dick Hyman.
He was also a regular - along with
Paquito D'Rivera, his wife Brenda, Daniel Ponce,
Victor Paz,
Candido Camero,
Tom Malone,
Marvin Stamm
Marvin Louis Stamm (born May 23, 1939) is an American jazz trumpeter.
Career
Stamm was born in Memphis, Tennessee, United States. Stamm began on trumpet at age twelve. He attended North Texas State University, where he was a member of the One ...
,
Jorge Dalto
Jorge Dalto (July 8, 1948 – October 27, 1987) was a pop, jazz and Afro-Cuban music pianist from Argentina, and the former musical director and keyboardist (together with Ronnie Foster) for George Benson, contributing the acoustic piano intro a ...
,
Jon Faddis and
Ruben Blades
Reuben or Reuven is a Biblical male first name from Hebrew רְאוּבֵן (Re'uven), meaning "behold, a son". In the Bible, Reuben was the firstborn son of Jacob.
Variants include Rúben in European Portuguese; Rubens in Brazilian Portugue ...
- at morning sessions in New York City, recording jingles for radio and TV commercials, led by his friend and former bandleader, Chico O'Farrill. O'Farrill was in demand in advertising circles for his ability to modify new and existing jingles to various Latin rhythms to appeal to a variety of Latin ethnicities.
[Forestieri, Louis. Phone interview, December 1, 2008.] Hambro also continued to do club work, putting together a quartet under his name, notably accompanying Anita O'Day at Michel's Pub from September, 1975 to January 1976.
Music director
After suffering a minor stroke, in 1980, at the age of 57, Hambro went to Atlantic City as Entertainment Director for Del Webb's Claridge and Hi Ho Casino (later the Claridge Hotel and Casino). With this transition, the family moved to Egg Harbor, New Jersey.
Along with Marty Portnoy, Hambro helped reinvigorate ballroom dancing and big bands in Atlantic City. Beginning in September 1981, Hambro booked the big bands of Duke Ellington, Tommy Dorsey, Glenn Miller, Count Basie and The Royal Canadians. Subsequently, in 1982, Hambro became the Music Director at Bally's Park Place Casino Hotel
where he fronted the "Lenny Hambro Orchestra" as the "Big Band on the Sand". He was simultaneously with the house band at Trump's Castle for a brief period after its opening in 1985.
During this time, he remained active as a working musician, playing Philadelphia jazz clubs with myriad groups, and taking various gigs, including touring Europe with pianist
Peter Duchin
Peter Oelrichs Duchin (born July 28, 1937) is an American pianist and band leader.
Early life and education
Duchin was born in New York City, the son of pianist and band leader Eddy Duchin. His mother was Marjorie Oelrichs, a Newport, Rhod ...
. His younger son, Lee, an accomplished drummer and professional musician by the age of 15, often "sat in". In his later years, Hambro donated his time and talent to charities such as the
March of Dimes Telethon, and the Association for Retarded Citizens' "Starshine" (organized by performer Nelson Sardelli) in Atlantic City, NJ, a tradition that would continue each summer for nine years. He was also an avid racquetball player, playing as often as he could.
[Igoe, Barbara (Hambro). E-mail to Charles Hart. January 4, 2010.]
Final tracks
In 1991, with his boys grown and his wife spending six months of each year in Israel, Hambro moved to Florida to be close to his sister and other relatives, renting a Las Vistas apartment near the Inverrary Country Club in Fort Lauderdale (Fort Lauderhill). He taught private lessons, played in a variety of bands, both big and small, in Miami-Fort Lauderdale area jazz clubs, and continued to work as a booking agent. He also continued to readily donate his talents to charity fund raisers, most notably working with Jack Simpson to benefit the Brevard County Food Bank. However, suffering from severe chest pains, and told that he would need bypass surgery and a heart valve replacement, Hambro returned to New Jersey in early 1995 to be close to his sons, his wife, and the doctors with whom he was comfortable; and to work on Chico O'Farrill's comeback album.
Hambro recorded his final tracks at the Clinton Recording Studio at 653 10th Avenue in New York City in February, 1995 for Chico O'Farrill's album, Pure Emotion (1995;
Milestone Records). The record was nominated for a Grammy in 1996. The title track, ''Pura Emocion'', was written specifically for Hambro, O'Farrill's longtime friend, and the journeyman leader of the reed sections in both O'Farrill's and Machito's orchestras. Hambro died of a
blood clot
A thrombus (plural thrombi), colloquially called a blood clot, is the final product of the blood coagulation step in hemostasis. There are two components to a thrombus: aggregated platelets and red blood cells that form a plug, and a mesh of ...
following open heart surgery just seven months later, on September 26, 1995, at Shore Memorial Hospital, Somers Point, Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey, a month shy of his 72nd birthday.
Hambro is buried along with his parents, grandparents, and other relatives at Mount Judah Cemetery, Ridgewood, Queens, New York. His sister, Adelaide, wife, Lynn, and two sons, Larry and Lee, survived him.
Jazz lifestyle
A look at the booking dates of The New Glenn Miller Orchestra in the two months following Hambro's November 5 wedding is representative of the lifestyle of a big-band musician. On the day of his marriage, Hambro and the 17-member The New Glenn Miller Orchestra were playing one of the ballrooms of Philadelphia's
Bellevue-Stratford Hotel
The Bellevue-Stratford Hotel is a landmark building at 200 S. Broad Street at the corner of Walnut Street in Center City Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Constructed in 1904 and expanded to its present size in 1912, it has continued as a well-known ...
, while his fiancée, Lynn Michels, was singing with Al Raymond's big band in another room.
Immediately after his marriage, while Hambro and Michels celebrated a weekend honeymoon, the band played The Tuxedo Ballroom in New York City. On Monday, with Hambro and Michels following the tour bus in their new convertible, the band headed to the Midwest for two weeks of engagements, followed by dates in Louisiana and Texas. After a brief respite for Hanukkah/Christmas, they broadcast from the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago on New Year's Eve, and after the post-Christmas break, a few weeks later, on 19 January 1961, they performed at one of President
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...
's five inaugural balls in Washington, DC. The band's repertoire in January, 1957 (during an extended engagement at the Cafe Rouge at the New York Statler Hotel, including Sunday afternoon's ''Treasury Savings Shows'') included 60 Glenn Miller originals, 10 McKinley standards, 10 contemporary tunes done in the Glenn Miller style (thanks to arranger Joe Cribari) and several pieces by the Lenny Hambro Quintet.
Despite the "different-hotel-every-night" lifestyle of a jazz musician, Hambro managed not to be seduced by the drugs and alcohol that were rampant during the jazz era of the 1930s, '40s, and '50s, that ended the careers and/or lives of many jazz musicians. Hambro credited
Roy Eldridge
David Roy Eldridge (January 30, 1911 – February 26, 1989), nicknamed "Little Jazz", was an American jazz trumpeter. His sophisticated use of harmony, including the use of tritone substitutions, his virtuosic solos exhibiting a departure from ...
, a mentor from his initial years with
Gene Krupa
Eugene Bertram Krupa (January 15, 1909 – October 16, 1973), known as Gene Krupa, was an American jazz drummer, bandleader and composer who performed with energy and showmanship. His drum solo on Benny Goodman's 1937 recording of " Sing, Sing, ...
's band, for his being able to shun narcotics. When Hambro was just 19, Roy forced him to watch a band member inject heroin, and stay to watch its effects, with a stern warning not to get involved with drugs.
Jazz legacy
Lenny Hambro was active as a performing and recording jazz musician for over 50 years. Although of Dutch Jewish extraction, Hambro was as comfortable with an Afro-Cuban jazz orchestra as he was with a Swing era dance band, or a Dixieland Jazz band. He was steadily in demand as a stage and session musician during the 1950s New York-based
Mambo
Mambo most often refers to:
* Mambo (music), a Cuban musical form
*Mambo (dance), a dance corresponding to mambo music
Mambo may also refer to:
Music
* Mambo section, a section in arrangements of some types of Afro-Caribbean music, particul ...
dance craze. A review of the musicians on Machito's 1958 album for Tico, ''Mi Amigo, Machito'', reveals a host of Latinos - José Mangual Sr., Uba Nieto, Johnny "La Vaca" Rodríguez Sr.,
Mario Bauzá
Prudencio Mario Bauzá Cárdenas (April 28, 1911 – July 11, 1993) was an Afro-Cuban jazz, Latin, and jazz musician. He was among the first to introduce Cuban music to the United States by bringing Cuban musical styles to the New York City ja ...
, José "Pin" Madera,
Ray Santos - and Lenny Hambro. A ''
Metronome
A metronome, from ancient Greek μέτρον (''métron'', "measure") and νομός (nomós, "custom", "melody") is a device that produces an audible click or other sound at a regular interval that can be set by the user, typically in beats pe ...
'' article from 1955 referred to Hambro as the "Latin from Manhattan", and Hambro traveled to Cuba several times during this period to perfect his art. Yet, he spent eight subsequent years playing the disciplined, sophisticated swing of The New Glenn Miller Orchestra. Further, he was routinely drafted to fill missing chairs for both
Duke Ellington's and
Count Basie
William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and the ...
's orchestras, often the only caucasian face on stage.
Hambro was a member of the
American Federation of Musicians of Atlantic City, Local No. 708; Musicians Local No. 802 in New York City; the
Screen Actors Guild
The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) was an American labor union which represented over 100,000 film and television principal and background performers worldwide. On March 30, 2012, the union leadership announced that the SAG membership voted to m ...
; the American Federation of Recording Artists; and the National Academy of Recording Artists. He worked on more than 80 recording sessions and appears as either a leader or sideman on nearly 100 LPs/CDs released in the U.S. Due to a resurgence of interest in period
Swing,
Bebop
Bebop or bop is a style of jazz developed in the early-to-mid-1940s in the United States. The style features compositions characterized by a fast tempo, complex chord progressions with rapid chord changes and numerous changes of key, instrumen ...
, and Latin jazz, recordings of Hambro's efforts as a sideman continue to be promulgated, with nearly 40 retrospective albums featuring his efforts released since his death. Additionally, both Lenny Hambro Quintet albums were re-released as compact discs in 2002 (Collectables).
As a composer, Hambro is best known for "The Lonely One", written with Roberta Heller (then a 21-year-old lyricist for music publisher Ivan Mogull,) which
Nat King Cole
Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 – February 15, 1965), known professionally as Nat King Cole, was an American singer, jazz pianist, and actor. Cole's music career began after he dropped out of school at the age of 15, and continued f ...
recorded for Capitol in 1956. It has been covered over the years by a variety of artists, including
Gene Tierney
Gene Eliza Tierney (November 19, 1920 – November 6, 1991) was an American film and stage actress. Acclaimed for her great beauty, she became established as a leading lady. Tierney was best known for her portrayal of the title character in the ...
, Marianne Solivan,
Sil Austin
Sylvester Austin (September 17, 1929 – September 1, 2001) was an American jazz saxophonist. He had his biggest success in an overtly commercial rather than jazz vein, but he regarded Coleman Hawkins, Lester Young and Sonny Stitt as his majo ...
,
Kitty Kallen
Kitty Kallen (born Katie Kallen; May 25, 1921 – January 7, 2016) was an American popular singer whose career spanned from the 1930s to the 1960s, to include the Swing era of the Big Band years, the post-World War II pop scene and the early ...
, Kelly Friesen,
Lisa Ekdahl, Mark Doyle, the Robin Nolan Trio, the Music Rama Band, and by several Finnish bands, where it was a minor hit as "Tuo Onneton" (with Finnish Lyrics by Kari Tuomisaari). On the Latin side, Hambro wrote "Mamboscope" for Machito, an instrumental that has been widely licensed for Afro-Cuban and Latin jazz compilation albums.
One of Hambro's greatest accolades came from famed clarinetist and band leader
Benny Goodman, who, when introduced to him by pianist
Leonid Hambro
Leonid Hambro (June 26, 1920 – October 23, 2006) was an American concert pianist and composer.
Life
Hambro was born in Chicago, the son of immigrant Lithuanian Jews; his father was a pianist accompanying silent films.
He studied at the Juil ...
(no relation), said of Hambro: "No need, I know who he is; he's the only man that makes me feel self-conscious when I play."
Musical preferences
Hambro was widely known as a versatile, accomplished musician, and an instinctual, lyrical player with a keen musical sense.
He played his alto with a light, sweeping style that moved along gracefully and, on ballads, had a sweet, singing tone that was, in essence, a trimmed-down version of Johnny Hodges'
technique. There is little doubt that Hambro was influenced by
Charlie Parker
Charles Parker Jr. (August 29, 1920 – March 12, 1955), nicknamed "Bird" or "Yardbird", was an American jazz saxophonist, band leader and composer. Parker was a highly influential soloist and leading figure in the development of bebop, a form ...
, and he was once described as mixing the styles of
Benny Carter
Bennett Lester Carter (August 8, 1907 – July 12, 2003) was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, trumpeter, composer, arranger, and bandleader. With Johnny Hodges, he was a pioneer on the alto saxophone. From the beginning of his career ...
and
Johnny Hodges
Cornelius "Johnny" Hodges (July 25, 1907 – May 11, 1970) was an American alto saxophonist, best known for solo work with Duke Ellington's big band. He played lead alto in the saxophone section for many years. Hodges was also featured on soprano ...
. (Lenny was Duke Ellington's first choice to sit in with his band as saxophone lead, whenever Johnny Hodges was absent.) As a jazz aficionado and "insider", Hambro was fond of the musical stylings of Charlie Parker,
Johnny Hodges
Cornelius "Johnny" Hodges (July 25, 1907 – May 11, 1970) was an American alto saxophonist, best known for solo work with Duke Ellington's big band. He played lead alto in the saxophone section for many years. Hodges was also featured on soprano ...
, and Benny Goodman. His favorite arrangers included
Neal Hefti
Neal Paul Hefti (October 29, 1922 – October 11, 2008) was an American jazz trumpeter, composer, and arranger. He wrote music for '' The Odd Couple'' movie and TV series and for the ''Batman'' TV series.
He began arranging professionally in his ...
(for
Woody Herman
Woodrow Charles Herman (May 16, 1913 – October 29, 1987) was an American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, singer, and big band leader. Leading groups called "The Herd", Herman came to prominence in the late 1930s and was active until his dea ...
,
Count Basie
William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and the ...
,
Alvino Rey
Alvin McBurney (July 1, 1908 – February 24, 2004), known by his stage name Alvino Rey, was an American jazz guitarist and bandleader.
Career
Alvin McBurney was born in Oakland, California, United States, but grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. Early i ...
,
Georgie Auld
Georgie Auld (May 19, 1919 – January 8, 1990) was a jazz tenor saxophonist, clarinetist, and bandleader.
Early years
Auld was born John Altwerger in Toronto, Canada, and moved to Brooklyn, New York, in 1929. Before the family left Canada, Au ...
, and
Neal Hefti
Neal Paul Hefti (October 29, 1922 – October 11, 2008) was an American jazz trumpeter, composer, and arranger. He wrote music for '' The Odd Couple'' movie and TV series and for the ''Batman'' TV series.
He began arranging professionally in his ...
),
Johnny Mandel
John Alfred Mandel (November 23, 1925June 29, 2020) was an American composer and arranger of popular songs, film music and jazz. The musicians he worked with include Count Basie, Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee, Anita O'Day, Barbra Streisand, Tony Benn ...
(for
Alvino Rey
Alvin McBurney (July 1, 1908 – February 24, 2004), known by his stage name Alvino Rey, was an American jazz guitarist and bandleader.
Career
Alvin McBurney was born in Oakland, California, United States, but grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. Early i ...
), and Chico O'Farrill (for Machito and Chico O'Farrill).
Although Hambro played a Selmer Alto saxophone on occasion, his favorite instrument was a Martin "Magna" alto sax. He used an Arnold Brilhart "Ebolin" Streamline Model 4* mouthpiece with a Vic Olivieri #4 reed. Hambro liked the "Magna" model alto sax for its brilliant sound, and believed the "Magna"-hard reed combination was less likely to play out of tune. During the 1950s, Hambro was often photographed with a Brilhart "Tonalin" ivory-colored Lucite mouthpiece. On clarinet, he also played a harder reed - a Vandoren #4. Lenny played a Martin "The Martin" tenor saxophone.
[Hambro, Lenny. Letter to Colin Moore. March 17, 1964.] After 1967, Hambro experimented with the Selmer Varitone electronic pickup and effects unit, which can be heard on Chico O'Farrill's 1968 album, "Married Well", and 1995's "More Than Mambo: Introduction To Afro-Cuban Jazz", both from Verve.
Discography
References
External links
*Lenny Hambro with The New Glenn Miller Orchestra (1961; Glenn Miller Time, CBS Television) video:
** (The dixieland combo features Ray McKinley on drums, Lenny Hambro on clarinet, Bobby Nichols on trumpet, Harry DeVito on trombone, John Worster on bass and Jim Hacker on piano.)
**
**
**
Ray McKinley at "Glenn Miller Orchestra"Martin Magna Alto Saxophones at ''The Martin Story''Vintage Brilhart Mouthpieces at ''TheoWayne Classic Mouthpieces'' Mouthpiece Museum*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hambro, Leonard
1923 births
1995 deaths
People from the Bronx
People from Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey
American jazz alto saxophonists
American male saxophonists
American jazz clarinetists
American jazz flautists
American people of Dutch-Jewish descent
Jewish American jazz composers
Jewish American musicians
Epic Records artists
Savoy Records artists
Jewish jazz musicians
20th-century American saxophonists
20th-century American composers
Jazz musicians from New York (state)
American male jazz composers
American jazz composers
20th-century American male musicians
James Monroe High School (New York City) alumni
20th-century jazz composers
20th-century American Jews
20th-century flautists