Tag Archives: final note

Final Note: Ron Kalina

Life Member. Piano
(8/4/1928 – 1/13/2016)

by Jim Self, Life Member, AFM Local 47

On Jan. 13, 2016, Ron Kalina, one of my dearest friends and musical mentors, passed away peacefully at 87 in Palm Springs. In my early years in Los Angeles I was a busy bass player and, after the devastating strike in 1980, I relied a lot on bass gigs to pay the bills. I was also looking for a neat sound to make my first jazz tuba recording. One night I played a casual with this wonderful, swinging pianist Ron Kalina. Later in the evening he pulled out a harmonica and played great jazz while also comping with one hand on the piano. I was blown away by his sound and talent and thought, “wow, harmonica and tuba might be a really unique sound for a jazz band.” I needed a musical project to get me out of the doldrums of those down studio years and thought I could make an interesting jazz recording and maybe help me progress as a musician. Continue reading →

Final Note: Jack Feierman

feierman headshot

Life Member. Trumpet
11/3/1924 – 1/19/2016

by Bob Alberti, Local 47 Life Member

Jack Feierman and I first met when we were both freelance studio musicians in the 1970s and often ended up on the same sessions. Our friendship was immediate and lasted through the years, even after I retired to Hilton Head, South Carolina. We often vacationed with Jack and his lovely wife Judith, on cruises from Alaska to the Caribbean, and during the 10 years I spent as pops conductor of the Hilton Head Symphony, whenever a strong lead trumpet player was needed I would arrange to have Jack flown out from Los Angeles to head up the brass section. Continue reading →

Final Note: Howard Rumsey

Howard Rumsey, Circa 1955

Life Member. Bass
(11/7/1917 – 7/15/2015)

by Glenn A. Mitchell, Life Member, Local 47

Howard Rumsey was a true jazz music entrepreneur. He was also the last survivor of the original Stan Kenton Orchestra playing upright contra bass. Rumsey passed away July 15, 2015, at age of 97 years. Continue reading →

Final Note: Arnold Belnick

ArnoldBelnick

Life Member. Violin
(9/7/1922 – 6/2/2015)

by Susan Chatman

Violinist Arnold Belnick, soloist and studio musician, made his transition in Granada Hills on June 2, 2015. He was 92 years old. A New York native and child prodigy since the age of 4, Arnold won his first major American competition at the age of 15 and played his concert debut in Town Hall. Hailed as a “young Joseph Sziget,” Arnold was a featured soloist with the New York Philharmonic and gained critical acclaim after he recorded for Columbia Records. Continue reading →

Final Note: Esther Klein Roth

Note Tree Life Member. Piano
10/17/1916 – 3/2/2015

by Jacqueline Rankin, daughter

Esther Klein Roth, a classical pianist and long-time life member of Local 47, died March 2, 2015, at the age of 98. Esther was a child prodigy whose teachers included Olga Steeb, Alfred Mirovitch, and Alexis Kall. Josef Hofmann, the eminent pianist and director of the Curtis Institute of Music heard her play and urged her to attend the Institute, but she had to pass up this opportunity because of the hard economic times. Continue reading →