Dancing to Ben Berlin orchestra

Ben Berlin (real name Hermann Biek), was born 1896 in Tallinn, today Estonia’s capital but at that time a city of the Russian empire.

He was the leader of a dance orchestra, under the name of Ben Berlin. Between 1928 and 1929 he recorded a great number or jazz inspired themes, some of them taken from the American repertoire, such as "Ain’t Misbehavin’“, „Button Up Your Overcoat“, „I Can't Give You Anything But Love“ and „She’s Funny That Way“. He played also film music, as for instance „Ein Freund, ein guter Freund“, the theme of the film « Die drei von der Tankstelle ». Leo Monosson was one of the singers that worked with him. The Dutch brothers Louis De Vries (Trumpet) and Jack De Vries (Tuba, Bass) played in his jazz orchestra too.

Being a Jew, he had to leave Germany in 1933. He died in London in 1944.

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