Ludwig Elias "Lud" GluskinState of New York Certificate and Record of Birth, January 4, 1899. (December 16, 1898 – October 13, 1989) was an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

drummer and bandleader.Donnelly, K.J. and Philip Hayward (2012
''Music in Science Fiction Television: Tuned to the Future'', p. 8. Routledge
Google Books. Retrieved October 13, 2013.

Biography

Ludwig Elias Gluskin was born in Manhattan as first child to Elias Gluskin (31), a New York dentist, and his wife Rosa Epstein (21). Both parents were born in Russia. From 1911-16, He attended public grade schools and

DeWitt Clinton High School , motto_translation = Without Work Nothing Is Accomplished , image = DeWitt Clinton High School front entrance IMG 7441 HLG.jpg , seal_image = File:Clinton News.JPG , seal_size = 124px , ...

where Gluskin met

Jimmy Durante James Francis Durante ( , ; February 10, 1893 – January 29, 1980) was an American comedian, actor, singer, vaudevillian, and pianist. His distinctive gravelly speech, Lower East Side accent, comic language-butchery, jazz-influenced song ...

with whom he formed a piano-drum combination for engagements at school events and private parties. After touring Europe with

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, ...

's band, Gluskin stayed on in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

where, in 1927, he was offered the leadership of The Playboys, a

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

jazz band which had been stranded in Paris; he led the group in

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

in 1927 and Paris in 1928, eventually expanding them into his own orchestra. With this ensemble, Gluskin recorded more than 700 titles in Paris and

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

and toured Europe extensively through 1933. His sidemen included Arthur Briggs, Faustin Jeanjean,

Emile Christian Emile Joseph Christian (April 20, 1895 – December 3, 1973), sometimes spelled Emil Christian, was an early jazz trombonist; he also played cornet and string bass. He also wrote a number of tunes, including "Meet Me at the Green Goose", "Satani ...

, Leo Vauchant, Howard Mulvany,

Edmond Cohanier Edmond Cohanier (born February 28, 1905, Talloires - death date unknown) was a Swiss jazz reedist. Cohanier worked in Paris for most of his early career, playing in the 1920s with Georges Marion, Paul Gason, Jack Purvis, and Gregor. Cohanier and ...

, and

Danny Polo Danny Pollo (December 22, 1901 – July 11, 1949) known professionally as Danny Polo was an American jazz clarinetist. Life Polo was born in Toluca, Illinois and moved to Clinton, Indiana as an infant, where his father worked as a coal miner. H ...

. The rise of

Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Germany from 1933 until his death in 1945. He rose to power as the leader of the Nazi Party, becoming the chancellor in 1933 and then ...

made it difficult for Gluskin, a

Jew Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""Th ...

, to find work in central Europe, and he eventually decided to leave the Continent. Upon returning to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, Gluskin led dance bands and worked on radio. He took the position of director of music for

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...

in 1937, working out of

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

, and leading the orchestra on many programs, including ''

The Orson Welles Almanac ''The Orson Welles Almanac'' (also known as ''Radio Almanac'' and ''The Orson Welles Comedy Show'') is a 1944 CBS Radio series directed and hosted by Orson Welles. Broadcast live on the Columbia Pacific Network, the 30-minute variety program was ...

'' (1944). During this period he also worked as

musical director A music(al) director or director of music is the person responsible for the musical aspects of a performance, production, or organization. This would include the artistic director and usually chief conductor of an orchestra or concert band, the ...

for a number of films, including ''

The Bashful Bachelor ''The Bashful Bachelor'' is a 1942 American film directed by Malcolm St. Clair. It is the second of seven films based on the Lum and Abner radio series created by and starring Chester Lauck and Norris Goff. Plot Small town store owner Lum Edw ...

'' (1942) and '' Friendly Enemies'' (1942).

American Film Institute The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private funding and public membership fees. Leade ...

(1971
''AFI Catalog of Motion Pictures Produced in the United States, Volume 1''. University of California Press.
Google Books. Retrieved October 13, 2013. In the early 1950s he provided music for ''

The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show ''The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show'', sometimes called ''The Burns and Allen Show'', was a half-hour television situation comedy broadcast from 1950 to 1958 on CBS. It starred George Burns and Gracie Allen, one of the most enduring acts in ...

''. Upon retirement he lived in Palm Springs, California.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gluskin, Lud 1898 births 1989 deaths Russian jazz drummers Jazz bandleaders Musicians from Palm Springs, California 20th-century conductors (music) DeWitt Clinton High School alumni 20th-century American drummers American male drummers 20th-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians