Allegro
Requiem
Volume CI, No. 2February, 2001
Robert Allen – Piano/Conductor
Philip Ambrosino – Drums
Robert G. Arnell – Clarinet
Horace K. Brown – Piano
Anthony F. Bua – Trumpet
Ben Caruso – Drums
Sidney Cohen – Drums
Gizella (Tenzer) Ehrenwerth – Violin
Margaret Graves – Violin
Ellison Harvey – Guitar
Stephen Hero – Violin
Milt Hinton – Bass
Danny Hurd – Piano/Arranger/Copyist
Theodore Kelly – Trombone
Jack Kreiselman – Clarinet/Conductor
Art Lambert – Piano
Lou Lane – Bass
Al Levine – Trumpet
Joseph Lombardo – Accordion
Onofrio H. (Freddie) Manzella – Violin/Conductor
Joseph Paderewski – Cello
Felix Popper – Conductor
Ariel A. Rubstein – Piano
Joseph Sanfilippo – Piano
Julius Shaier – Viola
Robert Terrell – Drums
Dotty Todd – Piano
Reyes Torres – Bass
David Uchitel – Violin
Gerald L. Weeks – Bass
Gloria Werner – Violin
Cynthia Williams – Vocalist
Albert Wurz – Saxophone
Milt Hinton
Milt Hinton, 90, one of the most recorded musicians of all time and the dean of American bass players, died on Dec. 19 after a long illness. He had been an 802 member since 1937.
Over his 70-year career he performed with almost every luminary of jazz and popular music, from Louis Armstrong, Cab Calloway, Dizzy Gillespie and John Coltrane to Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand and Paul McCartney. One of the first great bass soloists in jazz, he began his career when the string bass was just replacing the tuba in jazz bands and remained one of the most sought-after jazz artists more than seven decades later.
Known as “The Judge” by the jazz greats he worked with, Mr. Hinton was also a noted photographer. He began taking candid shots of the musicians he worked with after he received a $25 Argus camera as a birthday present in 1935, eventually compiling close to 60,000 negatives. His photos have been exhibited around the world. Footage that he and his wife, Mona, shot as photographer Art Kane gathered jazz and blues greats in 1959 became the basis of the film A Great Day in Harlem.
Born in Vicksburg, Miss., he moved as a child to Chicago. He played violin in his high school orchestra and tuba in the marching band, then attended Crane Junior College and Northwestern University.
Mr. Hinton taught himself to play the string bass in 1929 because opportunities for violinists were limited. After years of playing in and around Chicago as a freelance musician, he joined Cab Calloway’s band in 1936. During his 15-year stint with Calloway, Mr. Hinton was also featured on dozens of recordings with Benny Goodman, Lionel Hampton, Coleman Hawkins and Billie Holiday, among others.
He left Calloway’s band in the early 1950s, moved to New York and continued to work as a studio musician. For the next 20 years he played on countless jazz and popular music albums, jingles and film soundtracks.
Mr. Hinton’s collection of photographs has been featured in “Bass Line: The Stories and Photographs of Milt Hinton” and “OverTime: The Jazz Photographs of Milt Hinton,” as well as in dozens of magazines and newspapers.
He was devoted to helping younger musicians carry on the jazz tradition. He taught jazz courses at Hunter College and Baruch College in the 1970s and ’80s. In 1980 he established the Milton J. Hinton Scholarship Fund for young bassists. He received eight honorary doctorates, a “Eubie” award from the New York Chapter of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, and a Living Treasure award from the Smithsonian Museum.
He is survived by his wife, Mona, daughter Charlotte and a granddaughter.
Onofrio H. (Freddie) Manzella
Onofrio H. (Freddie) Manzella, 93, a violinist and conductor and a 77-year member of Local 802, died on Dec. 14.
Among the highlights of his long and successful career were a stint at the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra, and as a staff member at radio station WQXR under Leon Barzin. He was a member of many chamber music groups, including the Salzburg String Quartet, the Phoenix Quartet, the Greenwich Quartet and the Saidenberg Chamber Players.
Mr. Manzella was the concertmaster and associate conducter for many Broadway shows, including Song of Norway, Street Scene), Call Me Madam, Bitter Sweet, Red Head, How to Succeed in Business, West Side Story, Two by Two, I Do! I Do!, Musical Jubilee, Carmelina, South Pacific, Sound of Music, The Magic Show, Pippin, The King and I, My Fair Lady, Camelot and La Cage Aux Folles.
He is survived by his wife Christiane, daughter Lenore Manzella and her husband, William Frick.
Joseph Paderewski
Joseph Paderewski, 86, a cellist and medical sculptor, died on Dec. 19 in Boynton Beach, Fla. He had been an 802 member since 1937.
Trained by Percy Such, he played in the Elizabeth (N.J.) Symphony Society, the New York Philharmonic Association and the Houston Symphony Orchestra. During World War II he conducted the 279th Division Army Band in Europe. Mr. Paderewski retired from symphonic playing in 1955 to pursue a career in facial prosthetics for burned and cancer-stricken children, but remained active as a chamber music performer for many years thereafter.
He is survived by his daughter, Janet Paderewski, also a cellist, who lives in Richardson, Tex.
Felix Popper
Felix Popper, 92, a conductor who was for many years the music administrator at the New York City Opera, died on Dec. 24. He had been an 802 member since 1949.
Born in Vienna in 1908, he earned a doctorate in law and political science from the University of Vienna while also studying music at the Vienna State Academy of Music and privately with the conductor Hugo Reichenberger. He immigrated to the United States in 1940 and was decorated for his service in the United States Army in Europe during World War II.
He joined the New York City Opera in 1949 as an assistant conductor and vocal coach, and was appointed music administrator in 1958. With Julius Rudel, the company’s general director, and John S. White, its managing director, he helped the company establish itself as a house which gave important opportunities to American singers. Mr. Popper retired in 1980 but continued to work at the City Opera as a consultant and vocal coach.
He was also the general director of the City Center Gilbert and Sullivan Company and taught at the Henry Street Settlement Music School and the Mannes College of Music in New York City. He directed the opera department at the Aspen Music Festival for many years.
He is survived by his wife Doris, son Richard and sister Steffi Schuler.
David Uchitel
David Uchitel, 86, a violist and a Local 802 member since 1935, died on Dec. 19.
Born in Brooklyn, Mr. Uchitel had an illustrious and varied career. He was a member of the Metropolitan Opera orchestra for more than 37 years. During the big band era he performed with Harry James, Tommy Dorsey and Charlie Parker. He also performed with such popular artists as Elvis Presley, Bobby Darin, Dean Martin and many others.
He is survived by his wife Ernistine, son Bruce, a guitarist and an 802 member, daughter Michele, sister Ruth and four grandchildren.