Allegro
Requiem
Volume CIII, No. 4April, 2003
Charles A. Bellanti – Duovox
George Bohn – Alto Sax
Carl Bowman – Euphonium/Composer
Ruby Braff – Cornet
John Crosby – Composer
Luis R. Cruz – Guitar
Michael Giaramito – Saxophone
Robert Gladstone – Bass
Nathan Goldstein – Violin
Cecil Haynes – Drums
Anthony J. Incristo – Saxophone
Stephen E. Kates – Cello
Sally Kempler – Cello
James Le Blanc – Percussion
Ben Lindeman – Saxophone/Arranger
Daniel Magnusson – Clarinet
Samuel Rubinsky – Trombone
Melven (Red) Solomon – Trumpet
Joseph Sorise – Tenor Sax
Frank Stuto – French Horn
George C. Trovillo – Piano
Carl Bowman
Carl Bowman, 89, a composer, music educator and euphonium player, and an 802 member since 1945, died on Feb. 11.
Mr. Bowman taught for many years as a professor of music at Borough of Manhattan Community College. After his retirement he continued to teach as an adjunct professor until his death. In fact, he died while teaching a class.
His compositions included works for orchestra, band, chorus and chamber music ensembles. Dr. Bowman held degrees from Willamette University (Salem, Ore.), the University of Washington (Seattle) and New York University. He also studied at Juilliard and Columbia.
His compositions were performed by the Brooklyn Philharmonic, Portland (Ore.) Chamber Orchestra, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Canterbury Choral Society, New York Brass Quintet, American Brass Quintet, New York Philharmonic, the Goldman Band and the American Concert Band.
He is survived by his nephews John, Samuel and Stephen, niece Jean, and many grandnieces, grandnephews and great grandnieces and nephews.
Ruby Braff
Ruby Braff, 75, a cornet player and an 802 member since 1947, died on Feb. 9.
Mr. Braff was born in Boston. Self-taught, an admirer of Louis Armstrong, he began his career in jazz playing with musicians of an earlier generation such as Edmond Hall, Pee Wee Russell and Bud Freeman. He moved to New York in 1953, and though acclaimed by critics, he had difficulty finding steady employment.
After being featured at the first Newport Jazz Festival in 1954, he won the New Star category in the 1955 Downbeat poll.
In 1955-56 he appeared in the musical Pipe Dream in a playing and acting role. He recorded with Vic Dickenson in 1953, and went on to make recordings with Buck Clayton, Urbie Green, Benny Goodman and with his own group.
He was often featured with George Wein’s Newport All-Stars beginning in the 1960’s, and as a soloist with Tony Bennett in the 1970’s.
He co-led a successful quartet with the guitarist George Barnes from 1973 to ’75, toured with the New York Jazz Repertory Company in ’75 and in his later years collaborated frequently with Dick Hyman. He made many recordings as a leader, especially on the Concord and Arbors labels.
Though suffering with a serious lung ailment since 1993, he continued to develop his very personal style of playing, which was based on mellifluous tone and straightforward lyrical embellishments of the melody.
Mr. Braff moved to Cape Cod in 1991, which remained his home base until his death in Harwich, Mass. He is survived by his sister Susan.
John O’Hea Crosby
John Crosby, 76, a conductor and an 802 member since 1954, died on Dec. 15.
Mr. Crosby’s major musical legacy was the Santa Fe Opera, which he founded almost 50 years ago. He served as the company’s general director from 1957 until 2000 when he retired.
Igor Stravinsky attended the opera during the summer it was founded for performances of his opera, The Rake’s Progress. Mr. Crosby and Mr. Stravinsky became fast friends and the composer returned for the next six years, during which Santa Fe performed almost all of Stravinsky’s operas.
In that first year Marvin David Levy’s The Tower was given its world premiere. Subsequently the company commissioned nine works from leading composers including Carlisle Floyd, Luciano Berio, George Rochberg and Peter Lieberson, and presented more than 40 American premieres. In 1961, the company gave the American premiere of News of the Day by Mr. Crosby’s former teacher from Yale, Paul Hindemith.
Mr. Crosby was recognized as one of the champions of the operas of Richard Strauss. Nearly every year since 1957, a Strauss opera was performed by the company, always conducted by Mr. Crosby himself. He has been largely credited with the resurgence of interest in this composer.
In 1991 Mr. Crosby was awarded the National Medal of Arts by President George Bush for “giving young American artists the opportunity to train and perform in their own country.” He served as president of the Manhattan School of Music from 1976 to 1986 and of Opera America from 1976 to 1980. He is the recipient of numerous awards and five honorary doctorates including one from Yale.
Mr. Crosby is survived by his brother James, two nieces and one nephew.
Nathan Goldstein
Nathan Goldstein, 78, a violinist and an 802 member since 1948, died on Feb. 27.
Mr. Goldstein began music lessons when he was nine. His musical talent was soon recognized and he won a scholarship to the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia. He also studied at Juilliard’s Special Studies Division where he won the Brahms Violin Concerto competition and appeared with the Juilliard Orchestra under Frederic Waldman.
He was offered a scholarship at Tanglewood, where he was invited to perform the Tchaikovsky Concerto with the Advanced Student Orchestra. He served as concertmaster and played in the chamber music series.
After graduation, Mr. Goldstein made his first major orchestral debut in 1947 with the Philadelphia Orchestra, performing the Sibelius Concerto under Dmitri Mitropoulos. In 1950 he performed his debut at Carnegie Hall playing the Bruch G minor Concerto under Leon Barzin, for which he won the Merit Award given by the National Orchestral Association for the most outstanding debut of the season.
Mr. Goldstein also played with the Voice of Firestone Orchestra, as a staff member of ABC, and with the American Symphony Orchestra. In addition he served as a concertmaster of the Radio City Music Hall Orchestra and the New Orleans Symphony.
As a guest soloist he performed with the Kansas City Philharmonic and the Denver and New Orleans Symphonies. He also appeared with many chamber music groups in the New York area and Bergen County.
Mr. Goldstein joined the New York Philharmonic in 1964. He performed there 38 years, only retiring last year.
He is survived by his wife Dunnia and her children John Sebastian and Maria del Pilar, his former wife Beatriz and their children, Sharon, Judith, Kenneth and Tamara, their family and grandchildren.
James Le Blanc
James Le Blanc, 41, a percussionist and an 802 member since 1985, died on Nov. 22.
He graduated from Mayfield High School in Cleveland, Ohio and the University of Cincinnati Conservatory of Music.
When Mr. Le Blanc moved to New York, he found work playing on Broadway. He performed in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in the mid 1990’s when Donny Osmond starred. He also performed in Song and Dance and On the 20th Century, the latter starring Imogene Coca, Frank Gorshin and Judy Kaye.
Mr. Le Blanc also performed many Off Broadway engagements, club dates and rock dates as well as orchestral jobs with the Greater Bridgeport Symphony, the Stamford Chamber Orchestra and the Manhattan Chamber Orchestra.
Mr. Le Blanc moved to Chicago where he recorded with a rock group, the Remainders, for Reckless Records. He later moved to San Francisco where he played with Michael Osborn, Tee Carson, Ray White and Duke Jethro.
He settled in Belgium with his family. While living in Europe, he played with various groups and became the percussion director of a civic orchestra in the Netherlands; he also wrote compositions for the group.
He is survived by his wife Kitty, sons Max and Manu, parents Dennis and Judith, brothers Michael and John, nieces Kelsey, Kaitlin, Josie and Stephanie, and nephews Jake and Taylor.
Daniel Magnusson
Daniel Magnusson, 82, a clarinetist and an 802 member since 1947, died on Feb. 10.
Mr. Magnusson was born in North Dakota and moved to San Diego when he was two. After graduating from San Diego High School, he became principal clarinetist in the San Diego Symphony at the age of 18.
He earned a scholarship to Juilliard but dropped out to join the Army in 1943. He played in military bands and orchestras throughout the war. Afterwards, he finished up at Juilliard then moved back to the West Coast where he studied at University of Southern California and taught at the Los Angeles School of Music.
He rejoined the San Diego Symphony in 1951 and remained principal clarinetist until 1967. He played with the orchestra until the late 1970’s. He was also a member of the San Diego Woodwind Quintet, the San Diego Opera Orchestra and the San Diego Musicians’ Union Band (Local 325).
Mr. Magnusson was known as a prodigious sight-reader with deft technique. He was also a warm and gentle educator who loved to perform concerts with his family.
He is survived by his wife Lottie Marie, son Bob, daughter Kaaren Marie, son Daniel, 11 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.
Samuel Rubinsky
Samuel Rubinsky, 95, a trombonist and an 802 member since 1945, died on Feb. 13.
Mr. Rubinsky began his eight-decade professional career in the early 1920’s in Worchester, Mass., where he taught himself to play trombone. Joining the Army a few years later, he honed his musicianship playing in Army bands into the late 30’s.
When he left the Army after World War II, he played the thriving New York club circuit of that era. He was a fixture at the Monte Carlo, a popular spot of the time.
After a spell of not performing, Mr. Rubinsky returned to music in the late 60’s. He played and put together bands for cultural events like the Feast of San Gennaro in Little Italy
Around 1968, Mr. Rubinsky was noticed by a casting agency; he had a “great face,” according to family. He broke into movies and was cast in small roles, playing musicians. He appears in at least two of the Godfather movies, playing in a band. Perhaps his face is best known as the character “Mr. Miami Beach” in Woody Allen’s Annie Hall.
Sam also wrote songs, to the delight of his friends. His first was rag entitled “Hello, Ma, hello, Pa,” written at the end World War I. His last tune was called “Viagra,” written when he was 93.
He is survived by his wife, Dorothy, sons Michael, Robert I. and Ira, daughter Shelley, grandsons Jake and Brett, sister Helen and brother Mac.
Frank Stuto
Frank Stuto, 83, a French hornist and saxophonist, and a member of Local 802 since 1940, died on Feb. 12.
Mr. Stuto was an accomplished musician and conductor in both popular and classical idioms. At age 18 he was traveling around the country with some of the big name bands of the 1940’s and 50’s such as Raymond Scott, Tommy Dorsey, Les Elgart and Chico Marx.
He was a regular with the Lucky Strike Hit Parade under the direction of Mark Warnow and later Raymond Scott.
He played concert band music with the American Concert Band under Kirby Jolly, the North Shore Pops and the Senior Pops. He also performed for over 20 years with the Valley Stream Band led by Dean Karahalis.
In 1976 he formed the 17-piece Frank Stuart Orchestra which featured his daughter Rosemary as the vocalist. They played summer concerts in Nassau and Suffolk Parks as well as appearing at Lincoln Center.
Mr. Stuto is survived by his wife Irene, daughters Mildred and Rosemary, and grandson Jeffrey.