Dave Tarras facts for kids

Dave Tarras (born around 1895 – died February 13, 1989) was a famous American klezmer clarinet player and band leader. He was born in Russia and became one of the most celebrated klezmer musicians of the 1900s. People remember him for his long career and amazing musical talent.

A Musician's Early Life

Growing Up in a Musical Family

Dave Tarras was born Dovid Tarraschuk in a village called Ternivka. This village was in the Russian Empire back then, but it is now part of Ukraine. His exact birthday is not fully known, but it was likely around 1895 or 1898.

Dave came from a family of klezmer musicians. Klezmer is a type of traditional Jewish folk music. His father, Rakhmil Tarasyuk, played the Trombone and was also a badkhn (a traditional Jewish wedding entertainer). Dave's five brothers also became professional musicians.

Dave grew up surrounded by klezmer music and learned many instruments. For several years, his main instrument was the flute. Around 1909, he switched to the clarinet. He could also play the Balalaika, guitar, and mandolin.

In 1915, Dave was asked to join the tsar's army. But because he was such a talented musician, he was able to play music for the army instead of fighting in battles.

Moving to America

After leaving the Russian Empire, Tarras lived in Bucharest, Romania, for a short time. He then traveled to Great Britain. In 1921, he sailed across the ocean to New York City in the United States. When he first arrived, he worked in a clothing factory.

Dave Tarras's Music Career

Becoming a Professional Musician

Soon, Dave found that he could earn money by playing music. He became a popular clarinetist in many klezmer bands in New York. He also became the favorite musician to play with famous Yiddish theater stars. He even played for some of the great cantors (singers in Jewish religious services) of that time.

Dave Tarras was very good at playing different styles of music. Besides Jewish music, he also recorded Greek, Polish, and Russian songs. He sometimes used different names, called pseudonyms, on his recordings for Columbia Records. This helped to hide how many different types of music he played. It is thought that he played on at least 500 recordings during his career.

A Lasting Legacy

Dave Tarras was very skilled and dependable. This allowed him to keep playing music for many years, even longer than other early klezmer musicians. He had experience playing in the army band, could read music, and understood the Yiddish music style very well. This made him a favorite among band leaders.

After World War II, klezmer music became less popular. But Dave Tarras was one of the few musicians who still recorded and performed actively. His playing style was smooth and graceful, with clear and rhythmic sounds. His music was influenced by his roots in Bessarabia (a region in Eastern Europe) and by Jewish and Gypsy (Roma) music.

Dave Tarras helped change Jewish dance music. He made the "Bulgar" style more popular than the "freylekh" style, which used to be the main dance tune.

Tanz! and Mentoring Young Musicians

One of Tarras's most famous recordings is an album called Tanz! (1956). This idea came from his son-in-law, Sam Musiker, who was also a clarinet and saxophone player. The album mixed jazz music with klezmer music. It was not very popular when it first came out, but today it is a very important album for klezmer musicians.

Throughout his career, Dave Tarras was praised for creating "a new klezmer sound." This sound blended popular American music with traditional European roots.

In the 1970s and 1980s, klezmer music started to become popular again. During this time, Tarras helped many young musicians learn and grow. One of these musicians was the mandolin player Andy Statman, who later became famous.

In 1984, Dave Tarras received a National Heritage Fellowship. This is the highest honor given by the United States government for folk and traditional arts.

Dave Tarras passed away from pneumonia in February 1989 in Oceanside, New York. He was buried in the Montefiore Cemetery.

Family

Dave Tarras's wife was named Sarah. When he died in 1989, his family included his brother (Froika), his daughter (Brouny), his son (Seymour), and seven grandchildren.