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Bram Martin, Cello |
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Bram Martin, Cello |
Few - if any - of the many musicians associated with Mantovani could have had a longer career in the music industry than Bramwell (Bram) Martin (1901-84). From 1916 until 1980 - with a short break between 1945 and 1947 - Bram was many things musical: a professional cellist, an occasional vocalist, a silent movie musician, a dance band leader, a musical director, an orchestrator and composer, an entrepreneur and a music "fixer"! He was born on 22 June 1901 in the East London parish of St George. His father was a professional photographer who played the violin as did his elder brother Sidney. With such a musical pedigree it is hardly surprising to find that Bram took cello lessons at the age of seven under Laurie Presario who also taught Reginald Kilbey, a Mantovani cellist of the 1920s and 1950s. Bram later studied under Warwick Evans, the principal cellist with the Queen's Hall Orchestra.On leaving school at 15 Bram entered the pit orchestra at Bernard's Music Hall in the London district of Woolwich, earning 5/- a week. In 1917 he moved up to the Queen's Hall Light Orchestra under its conductor George W. Byng, then there was a brief interlude with Albert Barbinolli's Trio at the Queen's Hotel, Leicester Square, in the heart of London's West End. Around 1919 he made his first recordings with Byng and the Mayfair Orchestra. In the 1920s Bram toured with several light opera and musical comedy companies and while playing at Covent Garden under Bruno Walter he noticed a fellow musician's talented violinist daughter, Jane Blank, who was appearing in a ladies' orchestra at Lyons Corner House, Piccadilly. Bram wasted no time (talk about a fast mover!) for within a week he had married Jane and they were to remain together for over 50 years.
In the late 1920s Bram had a spell accompanying silent movies in Central London, but in 1930 signed up with the Regal Cinema Orchestra at Marble Arch and went on to take part in numerous recordings on the Columbia label with such well known British musicians as Lew Davis, Len Fillis and Adrian Rollini alongside. In the summer of 1932 he became a member of the English Trio resident at the Holborn Restaurant. Two years later he helped form a dance band for a successful charity concert at the London Hippodrome. Among the recruits were trumpeter Stan Roderick, who played for the 42 piece Mantovani Orchestra in 1970, and alto sax player Harry Lewis, later an Ambrose sidesman and husband of singer Vera Lynn, both of whom Mantovan knew well.
The Holborn Restaurant management got to hear the rehearsals and persuaded Bram to form a dance band for its ballroom. Thus it was in August 1935 that Bram found himself the unlikely leader of a dance band which soon began broadcasting. At the beginning of November 1936 the band's first recordings were made with singer Gene Crowley for the Regal Zonophone label and these continued until February 1938. In June 1939 Bram also recorded for the Rex label, but by now he had left the Holborn Restaurant for a variety tour and and ice show and a 1939 summer season at Blackpool's North Pier. Despite the threat of war he managed to complete the season with his 12 piece band and he continued at this venue for several more seasons. He even bought a bungalow in Cleveleys, Blackpool, on England's north-west coast, and moved his family there to be away from the air raids.
In between times he appeared in a winter review, "Fig Leaves", at London's Adelphi Theatre, for which he wrote the score with Jose Norman, composer of Mantovani's 1948 recording "The Bullfrog". In the autumn of 1943 came a change of direction: a dance hall residency at the Plaza Ballroom in Derby, in the English east midlands. In 1945 he decided to quit the music business altogether and moved to the Brighton on the south coast to become the proprieter of The Palladium Restaurant and the owner of a Regency house. But he couldn't abandon his roots altogether especially when asked to conduct a bizarre American review with the wonderfully colourful title of "Hellzapoppin'" at the Prince's Theatre in central London. A countrywide tour followed, but when the revue moved off to Australia Bram preferred to remain at home as he was now approaching 50. He conducted several ballet performances and pantomimes at the Prince's Theatre and participated in numerous sessions as a freelance cellist. He even turned down several offer to reform a dance band, telling writer Chris Hayes later that he didn't want to be a grandfather conducting a dance band!
His session work led him to that exclusive coterie of freelancers recruited by Wally Ashworth for Mantovani's recording sessions and British concert appearances. In the late 1950s and early 1960s Bram was a regular member of the Orchestra, and in November 1958 appeared at the Royal Variety Performance with Mantovani and fellow cellists "Manny" Fox, Lionel Ross, David Penman (all Mantovani regulars), Peter Vella and Maurice Zimbler. In the winter of 1958/59 he took part in the Mantovani film sessions at Elstree, in 1961 he played on BBC TV with Monty and in 1963 he toured Japan and Canada with the Orchestra. Bram was able to enjoy a healthy living as a sessioneer, working also with Geoff Love, Joe Loss, George Melachrino, Michel Legrand, Gordon Jenkins and Nelson Riddle. Among the show biz luminaries he supported were singer Max Bygraves, comedy performers Morecambe and Wise, clarinetist Acker Bilk and film actress Bette Davis. He even played sessions with The Beatles at one stage!
Not just content with playing cello he also launched an orchestral agency, the International Symphony Orchestra, which supplied ensembles for all sorts of occasions, and became a musical "fixer", i.e. a booker of musicians. He wasn't afraid of hard work and well into his 70s he worked long hours. It was only in 1980, four years before he died on 18 July 1984 at the age of 83, that he finally quit the business which had been his life for so long. An unsung hero in many ways, Bram nevertheless played a full part in the rich fabric of British musical life for many years and made an impressive contribution to the "Mantovani Sound".
We are honoured to remember him through his daughter Naomi Benson whose assistance with this portrait of her father was invaluable. Thanks are also due to Chris Hayes and the indefatigable Alan Dixon.
Colin MacKenzie.
