Sponsors
Books (Text)
eSheet (pdf file)
eTracks sound files
Sponsors
Free Services
Books (Text)
Statistics
Sponsors
Gelbe Seiten Veranstaltungen
Recordings (CD, DVD, Video)
Printed Music
Statistics
Free Services
Sponsors
Share
Link to share - cut and paste:
http://www.accordions.com/news.aspx?d=08-Oct-2010&lang=de&s=3233
http://www.accordions.com/news.aspx?d=08-Oct-2010&lang=de&s=3233
08-Oct-2010
by Rob Howard
|
 Tito Burns (born Nathan Bernstein in London) died recently of prostate cancer aged 89. Burns was the first of Britain’s post-war jazz accordionists, and in the years following 1945, rapidly became a well known broadcasting name through presenting and also performing on the weekly BBC radio programme ‘Accordion Club’. In the early 1930s Tito had entered accordion contests, and then played professionally with Felix Mendelssohn and Lou Preager, two well-known names of the time. After war service in the RAF, Tito Burns began pioneering his own style of bebop jazz in London nightclubs, fronting his own sextet. He was a musician with a great flair for jazz, and had lots of ideas for presenting his music. In the 1950s, Burns was voted ‘Best Jazz Instrumentalist’ several times in polls conducted by ‘The Melody Maker’ newspaper. By the late 1950s, Tito Burns had also become a theatrical agent, and as his agency work grew, he gradually withdrew from playing and in the 1960s gave up performing. As an agent, he was very successful indeed - renowned for driving a hard bargain - and handled the affairs of many leading show business names, including Cliff Richard, The Rolling Stones, Simon and Garfunkel, The Springfields, The Searchers, The Zombies, Victor Borge, Woody Allen, Bob Dylan, and Cat Stevens. To accordionists, however, Tito Burns will always be remembered as the man who pioneered jazz accordion in Britain during the 1940s and 50s. Some of his recordings can be found on the CD box set ‘Squeeze Me – The Jazz and Swing Accordion Story’ (Proper Records). He is survived by his wife, the singer Terry Devon, his daughters Linda and Sharon, and his grandchildren Josh and Ethan. |