Zeke Zarchy,
Trumpet (1968-1969) Talented Trumpet Player Also Played
With Louis Armstrong
Rubin
"Zeke" Zarchy was a trumpet player on the
Lawrence Welk Show in 1968. Zarchy was born in New
York in 1915. His father played the mandolin and
wanted his children to learn instruments. Mr. Zarchy
played violin in his youth and became interested
with horn players like Louis Armstrong and switched
to trumpet in his early teens. At the age of 20,
Zarchy joined the Joe Haymes orchestra in 1934 and
then played with Benny Goodman in 1936 and Artie
Shaw in 1937. From 1937 to 1942, he worked and
recorded with the bands of Red Norvo, Bob
Crosby, Glenn Miller, Mildred Bailey, Frank
Sinatra, Helen Ward,Judy Garland, Tommy Dorsey,
and Ella Fitzgerald. Zeke's trumpet can be heard on
recordings as Benny Goodman's "Bugle Call
Rag", Glenn Miller's "Moonlight Cocktail", and Bob
Crosby's South Rampart Street Parade.
When World War II broke out, Zarchy was the first
musician chosen by Glenn Miller for what became
Miller's Army Air Force Band (officially, the 418th
Army Band) where Zarchy played lead trumpet and was
Master (First) Sergeant from 1942 to 1945. Zarchy
was considered the glue that held the brass sections
together in the Dorsey, Bob Crosby, and Miller
bands. After the war, singer Frank Sinatra invited
Zarchy to move to Los Angeles, where he became a
first-call studio musician. He played on the
recordings of hundreds of vocalists, including Louis
Armstrong, Tony Bennett, Dinah Shore, and The Mills
Brothers. His trumpet is heard in the soundtracks of
many classic Hollywood movies, including West Side
Story (1961), Dr. Zhivago (1965) and the The Glenn
Miller Story (1954).
After
Lawrence Welk
During the 1970's, he played in the house bands
of several CBS TV variety shows, including The
Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, The Danny Kaye
Show and The Jonathan Winters Show, and was a
member of the NBC Staff Orchestras in New York
and Los Angeles. In his later years, Zarchy made
many music tours of Europe, South America, and
Australia, as well as 32 concert trips to Japan.
He tutored several young trumpet players who
became successful performers and studio
musicians. He died on April 12, 2009 at the age
of 93.