Jean Goldkette born 18 March 1899

John Jean Goldkette (March 18, 1893 – March 24, 1962) was a jazz pianist and bandleader.

Goldkette was reportedly born on March 18, 1893 in Valenciennes, France. But there is evidence that he was born in Patras, Greece. His mother, Angela Goldkette, was a circus performer from Denmark. His father is unknown.

He spent his childhood in Greece and Russia, where he studied piano at the Moscow Conservatory as a child prodigy. The family emigrated to the United States in 1911. He performed in a classical ensemble in Chicago at the age of 15, later joining one of Edgar Benson's dance orchestras.

Goldkette actually had over 20 bands under his name by the mid-'20s, but it was his main unit (which recorded for Victor during 1924-1929) that is the only one remembered today. 

In 1924, the band included Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey and Joe Venuti, with the legendary cornetist Bix Beiderbecke heard on just one selection ("I Didn't Know"); his inability to sight read at the time kept his first stint with Goldkette quite short. However, in 1926, Beiderbecke became the orchestra's top soloist and the jazz line-up was pretty impressive with such musicians as Spiegle Willcox, Bill Rank, Don Murray, Frankie "Tram" Trumbauer, Joe Venuti, Eddie Lang, Steve Brown, and Chauncey Morehouse among the personnel.

                           

With Bill Challis working as chief arranger, the orchestra was among the best of the period, even defeating Fletcher Henderson at a Battle of the Bands contest in New York. Unfortunately, Goldkette's Orchestra was not allowed to cut loose much in the studios and was saddled with indifferent vocalists who were not part of the band. 














Best among their recordings are "My Pretty girl" and "Clementine"; Steve Brown's swinging bass is a major asset on many of the other numbers, particularly during the final choruses.

Others include "My Blackbirds Are Blue Birds Now" and "Take A Good Look At Mine" demonstrate why the Goldkette outfit was one of the hottest white bands of the '20s although Goldkette himself did not perform in any group which bore his name.

Rex Stewart, a member of Henderson's band, wrote that "It was, without any question, the greatest in the world...the original predecessor to any large white dance orchestra that followed, up to Benny Goodman." Brian Rust also called it "the greatest band of them all."

Goldkette was music director for the Detroit Athletic Club for over 20 years and co-owned the Graystone Ballroom in Detroit with Charles Horvath, who performed with the Goldkette Victor Band in its early years. He owned his own entertainment company, Jean Goldkette's Orchestras and Attractions, working out of the Book-Cadillac Hotel in Detroit. He co-wrote the song "It's the Blues (No. 14 Blues)" which was recorded in Detroit and released by Victor.

The Orange Blossoms

In 1927, Paul Whiteman hired most of Goldkette's better players due to Goldkette's inability to meet payroll for his top-notch musicians. Goldkette helped organize McKinney's Cotton Pickers and Glen Gray's Orange Blossoms, which became popular as the Casa Loma Orchestra.

In the early 30’s he left jazz to work as a booking agent and classical pianist.  In 1936 he filed for bankruptcy, but over the next three decades he built up business again as a musician, conductor and promoter. He married Lee McQuillen, a newspaperwoman, on March 4, 1939. During that year he organized the American Symphony Orchestra which debuted at Carnegie Hall. (Frankie Laine worked as Goldkette's librarian).

           

In 1959, Jean Goldkette revived some of the old arrangements (adding some new ones by Sy Oliver) for a Camden "reunion" LP, but few of the sidemen (other than Chauncey Morehouse) were present.

He moved to California in 1961 and the following year died in Santa Barbara, California, of a heart attack at the age of 69. He took a taxi to the hospital by himself and died that same day. He is buried in the Angelus-Rosedale Cemetery in Los Angeles, California.        (Edited from Wikipedia & AllMusic)