Harry Biegeleisen

[Claire Bergen <alto_clef_47...>]

Does this name sound familiar to anyone?

My father and I have been doing research off-and-on about Harry Biegeleisen, 
my father's uncle. He was a trumpet player, lived from
1900-1930, and played with Dave Tarras in Joseph Cherniavsky's 
Yiddish-American Jazz Band. My father is looking, in particular, for any
recordings with his name listed - we haven't been able to find any. I'd be 
interested in any anecdotes, references, photos - right now it's just 
personal research, but I've had thoughts of turning this into a more 
in-depth family history project - he is quite a legend in my very musical 
family. (My father, Danny Bergen, and my uncle, Norman Bergen, played in the 
Catskills with Pete Sokolow et al.)

A request to Lorin Sklamberg at YIVO turned up 78s of Cherniavsky's band 
(selections from The Dybbuk), but the musicians are not listed.
In the liner notes to "Dave Tarras: Yiddish-American Klezmer Music 
1925-1956," Harry is in the photo captioned "Dave Tarras on tour with
Joseph Cherniavsky's Yiddish-American Jazz Band, C. 1924," second to the 
left. The band also apparently went by the name "Joseph Cherniavsky's 
Hassidic Jazz Band," and Harry also played in a dixieland band called the 
"Frisco Five." I'm told he was buddies with the likes
of Shloimke Beckerman, Sam Ash, and Naftule Brandwein -also Jack Levinsky 
and Marty Levitt, Sol Slavin, and Lou Arfine.

Thanks very much for any input you might have!

Claire Bergen

cbergen (at) alum(dot)pomona(dot)edu or alto_clef_47 (at) hotmail(dot)com

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