Volume 24 Issue 6 - March 2019

August 20, 1942, at age 19, Murray joined the army, and was soon
playing in Canadian Army Bands to entertain the troops in Europe.
After the war, he was back in Toronto, pursuing an amazingly
varied musical career. He played under diverse conductors, performed
on weekly variety shows, and was
the house trombonist for CBC’s
The Music Makers. At some point
he joined the Toronto Symphony
Orchestra and continued with
the TSO position for almost two
decades. Elsewhere, he played
under many conductors in a
wide range of musical performances
from highly classical to
“low down jazz.” As one person
remarked: “He played classical
music by day and jazz by
night, with The Murray Ginsberg
Orchestra.” For many years
he was the Toronto Musicians
Association’s business representative
and later wrote a book
called They Loved to Play in 1998.
I have been told that, when
Murray was in a singing mood,
his favourite song was When
the Saints Go Marching In. As
someone said after his passing: “Look out heaven – you just got one
more Saint who’s marching in.”
Now for a couple of my own personal reminiscences: one of
Murray’s key memories was about his first trombone lessons with
Harry Hawe at the age of 14. Some years later, in the late 1940s, Harry
Hawe was my trombone teacher. I remember well Harry telling me
how proud he was of a couple of his students in particular. Murray
and Teddy Roderman, the apples of his eye, both spent years in the
Toronto Symphony. The last time I saw Teddy Roderman, I happened
to bump into him on the street. At that time his health was failing and
he was going South with his sailboat. As for Murray, I don’t remember
where or when we last met, but I do remember receiving a copy of his
book shortly after it was published.
Well, a few days ago, on one of the days when Mother Nature
decided to bless us with a stay-at-home white day, I was poking
around through my book collection when out popped They Loved to
Play subtitled Memories of the Golden Age in Canadian Music. There,
on the inner title page in Murray’s handwriting were the words: “To
Jack MacQuarrie, December 16, 1999. From one trombone player to
another, all the best for the future.”
Truth be told, I don’t recall any of the details about that meeting.
Shortly after rediscovering Murray’s book I came across the
May 1994 edition of The International Musician, the monthly journal
of the American Federation of Musicians. That was where Murray
wrote his regular column Canadian Scene. Here again a memory
was re-ignited. His lead story was that the 1994 JUNO Award had
gone to the Rankin Family, and that the big event on the horizon
was the 100th anniversary of the opening of Massey hall on June 14.
That means that we will celebrate Massey Hall’s 125th birthday with
the building closed, anticipating how it will look after its major
renovations.
A few other glimpses into the 272-page treasure trove of anecdotes
contained in The Golden Age in Canadian Music. One of the first to
catch my eye was about Eddie Graf and his wife Bernice (Bunny).
You may remember I wrote a bit about Bunny’s birthday party in my
column in the October 2018 issue of The WholeNote. Well, in Murray’s
book I learned that, when Eddie Graf married Bernice O’Donnell at
9am on New Year’s Day 1945. Murray was their Best Man. They had
chosen to be married “at the earliest hour on the first day of a new
year when the promise of a long life filled with joy and happiness was
strongest.” That was the case until Eddie passed away a few years ago.
Earlier I mentioned two of Harry Hawe’s protégés, Murray and
Teddy Roderman. There they are in his book, together in a photo, two
teenagers, playing side by side in a group called The Modernaires at
the Masonic Temple at Yonge and Davenport in Toronto. It was 1942,
Murray was 19 and Teddy was 17.
One of the most hilarious
of the anecdotes in the book
is about orchestra leader Luigi
Romanelli. For many years
Romanelli’s orchestra was the
feature in the Crystal Ballroom
of the King Edward Hotel in
Toronto. In this particular event
Romanelli and his orchestra
were booked to provide the
music for the introduction of
new model cars by General
Motors in Oshawa. As was the
custom, this was a major event,
with politicians, corporate
executives and entertainment
personalities all dressed
in their finest formal attire.
The orchestra was onstage
behind the curtain. When
the house lights dimmed, the
orchestra struck up a fanfare
with Romanelli dressed in full
formal attire with his long-tailed coat almost touching the stage. As
the roll-up curtain began to rise it caught his coattail and wound it up
with the curtain. Soon, much to the amusement of all of the dignitaries,
he was dangling by his coattail a few feet above the stage.
Needless to say, the orchestra members joined in the hilarity. When he
got back down on the stage, he ordered all of the orchestra members
to pack up and leave the theatre immediately.
Murray Ginsberg
Recent Events
With the almost unending bad weather, my attendance at concerts
so far has been limited, but early in February I did manage to get to
the Oshawa Civic Band’s “Polished Brass” concert. Unfortunately the
terrible driving conditions kept many people away, but those who
braved the ice and slick roads were treated to quite a variety of music.
Except for selections from Mary Poppins and the Phantom of the
Opera, the works were unfamiliar to me. That said, music director
Rita Arendz led us through a fine evening of challenging music in the
traditional all-brass band style. The Naval Band of HMCS York took
their small ensembles to the Naval Club of Toronto again this year, but
freezing rain and ice pellets kept me at home 60 kilometres away. I have
heard that they provided one of their usual fine varied concerts.
BANDSTAND QUICK PICKS
!!
MAR 2, 7:30PM: The Barrie Concert Band presents “Last Night at the Proms”
featuring. Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance March No.1, Vaughan Williams’ Folk Song
Suite; Holst’s Nimrod from Enigma Variations, and other works. Collier Street United
Church, 112 Collier St., Barrie.
!!
MAR 3, 2PM: The Markham Concert Band will offer “Let’s Dance! Ballet, Waltzes
and Swing” including Big Band Polka, El Bimbo, Flunky Jim and Waltzes from Der
Rosenkavalier. Flato Markham Theatre, 171 Town Centre Blvd., Markham.
!!
MAR 3, 3:30PM: The Wychwood Clarinet Choir will have “CC at the Oscars” with
Gershwin’s An American in Paris; Mozart’s Adagio from Gran Partita; Bernstein’s
Tonight from West Side Story; Arlen’s Somewhere Over the Rainbow; and Loewe’s I
Could Have Danced All Night. Michele Jacot, conductor. Church of St. Michael and All
Angels, 611 St. Clair Ave. W. Toronto.
!!
MAR 31, 2PM: Resa’s Pieces Concert Band, reaching out well beyond their usual
Toronto locale, travels to St. Catharines for a Sunday concert. We have no details
about repertoire yet.
Jack MacQuarrie plays several brass instruments and
has performed in many community ensembles. He can
be contacted at bandstand@thewholenote.com.
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