Hugo Lowenstern

American jazz saxophonist from Amarillo, Texas Hugo was born in Nara Visa, New Mexico to Mildred Henderson Loewenstern and Hugo H. Loewenstern. His family included brother Morris Loewenstern and sister Julia Loewenstern Glick. They moved to Amarillo, Texas in 1929. Hugo was given his first saxophone at the age of six. A child prodigy on sax and clarinet, he won first honors in national competitions and at age 9 was featured in Ripley’s Believe It Or Not for memorizing 76 classical compositions. An Amarillo High School graduate, he trained at the Eastman School of Music. Hugo toured extensively with the famous big bands of Jack Teagarden, Harry James, Tommy Dorsey and Sonny Burke appearing as a soloist, on the Burke Orchestra’s recording of Ella Fitzgerald 1951. In between gigs, he returned to Amarillo to lead his own band at the Nat, the Avalon, and the Aviatrix. He married Mary Lou Parr in 1951. Years before as a teenager, she’d danced to the music of the bandleader on stage who would later become her future husband of sixty-five years. Eventually settling in Amarillo, Hugo joined his father and brother in the family business, Hugo H Loewenstern Real Estate Co. In 1943, Hugo joined the armed services and was in the Air Force Band, then later transferred to the Infantry until his discharge in 1946. He volunteered his band to the community, including the Lake Tanglewood (Amarillo, Texas) 4th of July celebrations, and nursing homes with singer wife Mary Lou. His professional career saw a solo album for Capitol Records, Who Said Good Music Is Dead, with the late composer Johnny Richards, who wrote original pieces for Hugo including The Magic of Arabis, which he performed as guest artist with the Amarillo Symphony in 1966. He continued musical associations with trumpeter, Doc Severinsen, Laurindo Almeida and others. Amarillo saw performances with friends and family in a newly formed jazz group. He was a founding member of the Amarillo Woodwind Quintet. The recording Music for Art, features songs by daughter, Tara Hugo and album sleeve artwork by Mary Lou. In 2001, KACV public television (Amarillo, Texas) produced the documentary "That Alto Man" celebrating his life and career.