Ziggy Elman

Lore & Background

Elman was born in Philadelphia but his family settled in Atlantic City, New Jersey when he was four. His father was a violinist who hoped Elman would play violin; though he learned violin, he preferred brass instruments. He began playing for Jewish weddings and nightclubs at age 15. In 1932 he made his first recording, playing trombone, and at some point adopted the name "Ziggy Elman." In 1936 he joined the Benny Goodman orchestra as a trumpeter after Goodman heard him playing with Alex Bartha's band at Steel Pier in Atlantic City. In 1938, while with Goodman, he signed a contract with Bluebird to record 20 sides as Ziggy Elman and His Orchestra, all members being from Goodman's band. One original tune was "Frailach in Swing," based on a 1918 recording of "Der Shtiller Bulgar" by Abe Schwartz. During the first half of 1939, Goodman's orchestra was featured on the "Camel Caravan" radio show with Johnny Mercer. Goodman challenged Mercer to write lyrics for Elman's tune in one week; two weeks later Mercer brought lyrics for a slower tempo. Goodman had arranger Jimmy Mundy write an arrangement, now called "And the Angels Sing." The recording, with vocal by Martha Tilton and featuring Elman's trumpet, became a No. 1 hit. Mercer biographer Philip Furia suggests the challenge "sounds like a prearranged plug for a completed song."

Reader's Guide

Ziggy Elman's significance lies primarily in his iconic trumpet work on "And the Angels Sing," a defining hit of the Benny Goodman orchestra that helped cement the swing era's popularity. His blending of klezmer influences into jazz, as in "Frailach in Swing," showcased a distinctive style rooted in Jewish wedding music. Though he led his own bands from 1947 and was honored six times in Down Beat's Readers Poll between 1940 and 1947, his later career declined with the big band era. By the 1950s he switched to entertainment work, suffered a heart attack in 1956, and was financially ruined by the end of the decade, working at a car dealership and later in a music store giving trumpet lessons. His inability to recreate his klezmer solo for the 1956 film The Benny Goodman Story—another trumpeter played it on the soundtrack—underscored the loss of his technique. He died of liver failure in 1968 at age 54. His legacy endures through his recordings with Goodman and his own small group sides, which remain touchstones of swing and klezmer-inflected jazz.

Did You Know?

• Elman made his first recording in 1932 playing the trombone, not trumpet.
• In the 1956 film The Benny Goodman Story, Elman appeared performing but another trumpeter, Mannie Klein, played the solo on the soundtrack.
• By the end of the 1950s he was financially ruined and worked for a car dealership.