Mischa Novy

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Mischa Novy on CG 5007

Mischa Novy (born January 26, 1914 in Paris , † April 1963 ) was a violinist who performed with his orchestra in American and European hotels and bars between 1930 and 1963.

Novy's Russian parents had their son taught the violin by Peter Merenblum when he was four . At the age of twelve he received a scholarship at the Brussels Conservatory , where he shared his room with Nathan Milstein and William Primrose . His teacher was Eugène Ysaÿe . Despite very good progress, Novy decided to study law at the Sorbonne , which he broke off after a short time at the request of model Marie Tourlet and returned to music. He founded the Mischa Novy Orchestra and made guest appearances in hotels and bars across Europe. In 1936 Cornelius Vanderbilt IV heard him at the Claridge Hotel in Paris and arranged his first concert tour to the United States. After a further three years in Europe, he was able to sign a long-term commitment in Roney Plaza in Miami Beach , which was prematurely terminated in 1942 when he entered the US Army and served as an intelligence officer in World War II .

After the war, he reorganized his orchestra in Paris: the all-string orchestra should be based on the Gypsy style that was popular at the time . In the spring of 1947, an American artist agency hired him for the Café L'Aiglon in Beverly Hills . Mischa Novy and his Velvet Strings played in front of Hollywood greats such as Lana Turner , Barbara Stanwyck , Rita Hayworth and Hedy Lamarr . Joan Crawford is said to have cried with emotion at one of her favorite numbers. In February 1948, the head of Standard Transcriptions, Jerry King, announced that he wanted to break the recording ban with recordings of Mischa Novy . In 1950 he had an appearance as a violinist in the film Mister 880 , the following year he was able to record a classic album for MGM Records .

His other stops were the La Rue in Miami Beach, the Fairmont Hotel and the Palace Hotel in San Francisco and, finally, at the invitation of Conrad Hilton , the The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills . It was there in 1960 that the entrepreneur Cliff Garrett became aware of the violinist's gypsy sound and recorded the album Continental Hors d'Oeuvres with him in the Sound Enterprises studio in Hollywood for his recently founded record company CG Recording Corporation . The album opened the LP discography for the main label CG Records, and the company's first 7-inch release was released with the single My Funny Valentine / Hawaiian Wedding Song . Novy also took over the post of music director at CG Recording Corporation. The collaboration did not last long: both Garrett and Novy died in 1963.

Discography

Albums

  • 1951 - Mischa Novy and his Velvet Strings , MGM E-546
  • 1960 - Continental Hors d'Oeuvres , CGM 1000 (mono) / CGS 3000 (stereo)

Singles

  • 1960 - My Funny Valentine / Hawaiian Wedding Song , CGX-5000
  • 1961 - Fascination / Poor People of Paris , CGX-5007

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Life data , accessed April 16, 2014
  2. ↑ a b c d e f g Liner Notes on CGM 1000, Mischa Novy: Continental Hors D'Oeuvres , 1960.
  3. ↑ Billboard Magazine, February 28, 1948, page 3.
  4. ↑ Mister 880 in the IMDb , accessed on April 16, 2014
  5. ↑ Billboard Magazine, May 26, 1951, p. 22.
  6. ↑ Billboard Magazine, Jan. 18, 1960, p. 14.
personal data
SURNAME Novy, Misha
BRIEF DESCRIPTION violinist
DATE OF BIRTH January 26, 1914
PLACE OF BIRTH Paris
DATE OF DEATH April 1963