Danielius Pomerancas

Lithuanian violinist of Jewish descent. Born 1904 in Šiauliai, emigrated to Canada in 1974, died 1981. Daniel Pomerantz’s jazz-band was the best exponent of swinging orchestra in the interwar Lithuanian little stage. The band usually performed in Konradas cafe in Kaunas. Pomerantz studied violin with Itzhak Vildman-Zaidman at the Kaunas Juozas Naujalis School of Music and Willy Hess at the Berlin Conservatoire. In Vienna he attended master classes given by Bronisław Huberman, a renowned violin virtuoso. While in Berlin, Pomerantz played in cafes and Marek Weber orchestra, at the time one of the most popular orchestras in Europe. Upon returning to Kaunas around 1933, Pomerantz formed an ensemble of multiinstrumentalists. The ensemble performed in Konradas and Monika cafes and not before long started competing with the celebrated Hofmeklerband in terms of mastery. He liked to play solo violin in cafes; he played almost the entire violin repertoire fascinating his listeners by virtuoso passages and improvisations. In 1936, orchestra conducted by Pomerantz joined by recording studio orchestra members and soloist Antanas Dvarionas recorded for label Columbia 11 shellac records, featuring fashionable tangos, waltzes and foxtrots.