By Bruce Klauber
Bandleader Alex Bartha had the longest run of any performer in the history of Atlantic City show business. The big issue with that statement is that only a very few people know who Bartha was.
George T. Simon, who chronicled the histories of hundreds of big bands in his landmark work, “The Big Bands,” could only come up with the following paragraph about Bartha: “Alex Bartha, mustachioed and trim, fronted the house band on Atlantic City’s Steel Pier, often vying against name bands there with his crisp, clean attack.”
What Simon didn’t say is that Alex Bartha led the house band at the Steel Pier on a full-time basis from 1933 until the late 1950s, and then on and off until 1975. That’s a long run.
The Atlantic City-born Bartha was originally a banker who worked at the long-gone Chelsea National Bank from 1921 until the bank’s closing in 1933. He was also a violinist who, from time to time, played jobs as a substitute in several Atlantic City hotel bands.
He made his first mark as a bandleader in the city, while still working at the bank during the days when the grand hotels had dance bands in residence. Bartha led the orchestra at the Traymore Hotel, and actually recorded several tracks for Victor in 1932 under the name, “Alex Bartha and his Hotel Traymore Orchestra.” One of the records was appropriately titled, “There’s Oceans of Love by the Beautiful Sea.”
The year after these records were made, Bartha got the job as house bandleader at the Steel Pier. Though the recordings were not much more than standard, early-1930s dance band stuff, they are noteworthy for a few measures of hot trombone soloing by a player named Harry Finkelman who had recently joined Bartha’s band. Several years later, Finkelman, who had lived in Atlantic City since childhood, would change his name to Ziggy Elman.
If Bartha is known for anything in jazz history, it’s Benny Goodman’s “discovery” of Elman in Bartha’s band at the Steel Pier.
As the Steel Pier’s “house band,” Bartha’s crew would sometimes alternate with whatever name band was booked, and/or would back up whatever big name act was appearing in the Music Hall.
Ziggy Elman, doubling on trumpet and on any number of other instruments, worked with Bartha at the Pier for three years. The emphasis here is on the word “worked.” Bartha’s ensemble often had to play 10 shows a day in the Music Hall or the Marine Ballroom, seven days a week, at least during the season.
In 1936 the wildly popular Benny Goodman, who had recently been christened “The King of Swing,” was booked at the Steel Pier when he heard Elman on trumpet for the first time.
Chris Griffin, one of Goodman’s trumpeters, told the story of Elman’s discovery, which was reprinted in Steve Liebowitz’s book, “Showplace of the Nation: Steel Pier, Atlantic City.” Griffin remembered:
“There was this guy in the Pier’s band, the first trumpet, jumping down to the second level, playing trombone and then jumping down to play the baritone sax, and back to trumpet. Ziggy repeated the performance three or four times and Benny, watching, remarked, ‘Wow! Great! Look at that!’ Obviously, he was saying to himself, ‘We gotta get this guy!’”
Elman joined the Goodman band, and with the recording of “And the Angels Sing,” with a trumpet solo by Elman, the former Harry Finkelman became a swing era star.
The trumpeter hit big band paydirt again in 1940 when he joined Tommy Dorsey’s tremendously popular band. He was with TD on and off until 1947, and in the process, won six, coveted Down Beat Magazine Readers Poll Awards for best trumpeter.
When talking about the Elman scenario in later years, Alex Bartha told The Press of Atlantic City, “I wasn’t much of a musician, but I sure knew how to pick ‘em.”
Elman’s post-swing era years were not particularly happy. Changing styles, health issues and personal problems made life difficult for the ebullient trumpeter. He appeared as himself in “The Benny Goodman Story” movie, but was not well enough to play on the soundtrack. Manny Klein played trumpet on the track as Elman mimed on screen. Ziggy Elman died at the age of 54.
Bartha’s band remained on the Steel Pier’s full-time payroll until 1956, and during the 23 years he was in residence he became popular enough as a bandleader to take on a good deal of outside work in the region. An April, 1940 article in The Gettysburgian newspaper, told of his career success.
“Alex Bartha, and his Steel Pier orchestra with his group of feature artists, who are to furnish music for the Ivy Ball here April 27, have been booked for several outstanding engagements in the near future,” the paper reported. “Bartha and company, who for six years have been the featured sustaining band at Atlantic City’s celebrated amusement pier, are currently starring along with Bea Wain, heralded songstress of radio and stage previously with Larry Clinton’s orchestra, in the ‘Broadway Frolics of 1940.’”
When self-contained rock and pop acts began to be booked at the Pier in the early 1960s, Bartha’s band-leading services as “accompanist to the stars” weren’t needed as much, though the band still appeared when necessary. For example, the Pier’s 1966 schedule included appearances by The Rolling Stones, The Standells, The McCoys, The Animals, Freddie and the Dreamers, and The Byrds. While they were all self-contained acts, when performers like Al Martino, Dionne Warwick and Frank Gorshin headlined the Music Hall that summer, Bartha’s band was there to back them.
Alex Bartha’s Steel Pier Orchestra was on hand to play for some of the Pier’s final shows in the summer of 1975, when Buddy Greco and Al Martino starred in the Music Hall. The Steel Pier closed on Sept. 1, 1975.
One of the more amusing stories about Bartha through the years had to do with trumpeter Harry James’ visit to the Steel Pier in 1939. James’ boy singer was Frank Sinatra. James, who had a good deal of respect for Bartha as a judge of talent, asked him what he thought of his new singer. “He’s terrific,” Bartha told James. “But someone should buy him a new suit.”
When work at the Pier slowed in the 1960s, Bartha returned to banking and retired in 1973. He died on Feb. 13, 1980 in Margate.
Special thanks to Gary Lassin for his invaluable research about Alex Bartha.
Bruce Klauber is the author of four books, an award-winning music journalist, concert and record producer and publicist, producer of the Warner Brothers and Hudson Music “Jazz Legends” film series, and performs both as a drummer and vocalist.
