Ambrose in 1927

Benjamin Baruch Ambrose (15 September 1896–11 June 1971) was an English bandleader and violinist. His professional name was officially Bert Ambrose, but he was universally known simply as Ambrose. Image File history File links This is a copyrighted promotional photo with a known source. ... Image File history File links This is a copyrighted promotional photo with a known source. ... September 15 is the 258th day of the year (259th in leap years). ... 1896 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... June 11 is the 162nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (163rd in leap years), with 203 days remaining. ... 1971 is a common year starting on Friday (click for link to calendar). ... Royal motto: Dieu et mon droit (French: God and my right) Englands location within the UK Official language English de facto Capital London de facto Largest city London Area  - Total Ranked 1st UK 130,395 km² Population  - Total (2001)  - Density Ranked 1st UK 49,138,831 377/km² Ethnicity... A Bandleader is the director of a band of musicians. ... A violinist is an instrumentalist who plays the violin. ...

Early life and career

Ambrose was born in the East End of London; his father was a Jewish wool merchant. He began playing the violin at a young age, and soon after he was taken to the United States by his aunt he began playing professionally — first for Emil Coleman at New York's Reisenweber's restaurant, then in the Palais Royal's big band. After making a success of a stint as bandleader, at the age of twenty he was asked to put together and lead his own fifteen-piece band. After a dispute with his employer, he moved his band to another venue, where they enjoyed considerable popularity. The term East End is most commonly used to refer to the East End of London. ... The word Jew (Hebrew: יהודי) is used in a wide number of ways, but generally refers to a follower of the Jewish faith, a child of a Jewish mother, or someone of Jewish descent with a connection to Jewish culture or ethnicity and often a combination of these attributes. ... Midtown Manhattan, looking north from the Empire State Building, 2005 New York City (officially named the City of New York) is the most populous city in the United States, and is at the center of international finance, politics, communications, music, fashion, and culture. ... A big band, also known as a jazz orchestra, is a large musical ensemble that plays jazz music, especially swing. ...

In 1922 he returned to London, where he was engaged by the Embassy Club to form a seven-piece band. Ambrose stayed at the Embassy for two years, before walking out on his employer in order to take up a much more lucrative job in New York. After a year there, besieged by continual pleas to return from his ex-employer in London, in 1925 he was finally persuaded to go back by a cable from the Prince of Wales: "The Embassy needs you. Come back — Edward". 1922 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... 1925 was a common year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... Telegraphy (from the Greek words tele = far away and grapho = write) is the long-distance transmission of written messages without physical transport of letters, originally over wire. ... The Badge of the Prince of Wales is derived from the ostrich feathers borne by Edward, the Black Prince. ...

This time Ambrose stayed at the Embassy Club until 1927. The club had a policy of not allowing radio broadcasts from its premises, however, and this was a major drawback for an ambitious bandleader; this was largely because the fame gained by radio work helped a band to gain recording contracts (Ambrose's band had been recorded by Columbia Records in 1923, but nothing had come of this). He therefore accepted an offer by the May Fair Hotel, with a contract that included broadcasting. Columbia Records is the oldest continually used brand name in recorded sound, dating back to 1888. ... 1923 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Ambrose stayed at the May Fair for six years, during which time the band made recordings for Brunswick Records, HMV, and Decca Records. This period also saw the musical development of the band, partly as a result of Ambrose's hiring of first-class musicians, including Sylvester Ahola, Max Goldberg, Ted Heath, Joe Crossman, Joe Jeannette, Bert Read, Joe Brannelly, Dick Escott, and Max Goldberg. Brunswick Records is a United States based record label. ... His Masters Voice, often abbreviated to HMV, is a famous trademark in the music business, and for many years was the name of a large record company. ... Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929. ... Ted Heath (30 March 1900–18 November 1969) was Britains most famous bandleader. ...

The 1930s & 1940s

In 1933 Ambrose was asked to accept a cut in pay at the May Fair; refusing, he went back to the Embassy Club, and after three years there (and a national tour), he rejected American offers and returned to the May Fair Hotel in 1936. He then went into partnership with Jack Harris (an American bandleader), and in 1937 they bought a club together (Ciro's Club); they alternated performances there until a disagreement led to the rupture of their partnership. Ambrose worked at the Café de Paris until the outbreak of World War II, when he again went on tour. 1933 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1936 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1937 was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km (over 11 miles) into the air, August 9, 1945 after the Allied atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. ...

Ambrose Orchestra in 1933

After a short period back at the May Fair Hotel, he retired from performing in 1940 (though he and his orchestra continued to make records for Decca until 1947). His retirement wasn't permanent, however, and he formed and toured with the Ambrose Octet, and dabbled in management, Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1020x425, 135 KB) This is a copyrighted promotional photo with a known source. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1020x425, 135 KB) This is a copyrighted promotional photo with a known source. ... 1940 was a leap year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1947 was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

The 1950s & 1960s

In the mid-1950s, despite appearances back in London's West End and a number of recordings for Decca, Ambrose was – in common with other bandleaders – struggling; rock and roll had arrived. He was forced to start performing in small clubs with casual musicians, and his financial position deteriorated catastrophically. His situation was saved, however, by his discovery of the singer Kathy Kirby (whome he heard singing at the age of sixteen at the Ilford Palais), and whose career he promoted. Millennia: 1st millennium - 2nd millennium - 3rd millennium // Events and trends The 1950s in Western society was marked with a sharp rise in the economy for the first time in almost 30 years and return to the 1920s-type consumer society built on credit and boom-times, as well as the... West End is the name of some places in the world, including: The West End of London, England West End Theatre, is where many of Londons major theatres are located and premier cinema screenings take place. ... Rock and roll (also spelled Rock n Roll, especially in its first decade), also called rock, is a form of popular music, usually featuring vocals (often with vocal harmony), electric guitars and a strong back beat; other instruments, such as the saxophone, are common in some styles. ... Kathy Kirby (born October 20, 1940 with the name Kathleen ORourke) was a popular British singer of the 1950s and 1960s. ...

It was during the recording of one of Kirby's television programmes (at the Yorkshire Television studios) that Ambrose collapsed, dying later the same night. Yorkshire Television Limited is the ITV contractor for Yorkshire, England, and the surrounding areas. ...

Source

• Ambrose — from the Dance Band Encyclopaedia