Biography
Naftule Brandwein ranked among the most pivotal figures in klezmer history while also standing out as one of the era’s most flamboyant characters. He crowned himself “the king of the Klezmer clarinet” and injected fresh energy into the eastern-European-rooted Jewish dance repertoire. “CMJ-NMR” dubbed him “the Charlie Parker of klezmer, a master musician of the 78 rpm era who influenced everyone in his field who came after him.”
Brandwein’s theatrical streak matched his musical daring; he routinely took the stage wearing a glowing neon sign that spelled out “Naftule Brandwein Orchestra.” In his notes for the 1997 reissue “King Of The Klezmer Clarinet,” historian Henry Sapoznik recalled the clarinetist entering in an Uncle Sam outfit trimmed with Christmas lights and nearly suffering electrocution.
Born one of thirteen siblings, Brandwein traced his lineage to the Strettener Hasidic dynasty headed by Rabbi Yehuda Hersch Brandwein of Stratyn, Poland. His father earned his living on fiddle and as an improvisatory wedding poet, while his older brother Azriel, a clarinetist, gave him his earliest lessons. After arriving in the United States in 1908, Brandwein drew notice playing for Yiddish theater productions. He first recorded as a sideman with Abe Schwartz’s Orchestra, remaining until 1923, when he stepped out as a leader and Dave Tarras assumed his chair. Although he spent a short time in the early 1920s with Joseph Cherniavsky’s Hasidic-American Jazz Band, twenty-three of the sides he cut between 1922 and 1927 appeared under his own name.
Brandwein’s prospects dimmed in the mid-1920s. Known increasingly as a “nasty drunk,” he began missing bookings, while his steadfastly traditional style started to feel dated. The 1924 immigration restrictions shrank the audience that favored his sound. After a final session in October 1927 he remained silent on record until 1941. Though he died before the klezmer revival of the 1980s, his influence endured among subsequent generations of players.
Brandwein’s theatrical streak matched his musical daring; he routinely took the stage wearing a glowing neon sign that spelled out “Naftule Brandwein Orchestra.” In his notes for the 1997 reissue “King Of The Klezmer Clarinet,” historian Henry Sapoznik recalled the clarinetist entering in an Uncle Sam outfit trimmed with Christmas lights and nearly suffering electrocution.
Born one of thirteen siblings, Brandwein traced his lineage to the Strettener Hasidic dynasty headed by Rabbi Yehuda Hersch Brandwein of Stratyn, Poland. His father earned his living on fiddle and as an improvisatory wedding poet, while his older brother Azriel, a clarinetist, gave him his earliest lessons. After arriving in the United States in 1908, Brandwein drew notice playing for Yiddish theater productions. He first recorded as a sideman with Abe Schwartz’s Orchestra, remaining until 1923, when he stepped out as a leader and Dave Tarras assumed his chair. Although he spent a short time in the early 1920s with Joseph Cherniavsky’s Hasidic-American Jazz Band, twenty-three of the sides he cut between 1922 and 1927 appeared under his own name.
Brandwein’s prospects dimmed in the mid-1920s. Known increasingly as a “nasty drunk,” he began missing bookings, while his steadfastly traditional style started to feel dated. The 1924 immigration restrictions shrank the audience that favored his sound. After a final session in October 1927 he remained silent on record until 1941. Though he died before the klezmer revival of the 1980s, his influence endured among subsequent generations of players.