James Kok

Romanian violinist, bandleader and arranger, born January 24, 1902 in Cernauti, Romania [now Chernovtsy, Ukraine], died October 18, 1976 in Berlin, Germany.
Worked and recorded in Germany from 1923 to 1935, Romania in 1935, emigrated to Switzerland in 1939 and stayed there for two decades. Besides violin, Kok played saxophone, clarinet, and piano. "... not an outstanding jazz soloist, but his bands (for which Kok made arrangements) played in the style of the Jimmie Lunceford and Casa Loma orchestras." (Rainer E. Lotz, The New Grove dictionary of jazz, 1988)

The Romanian James Kok celebrated his greatest successes in Germany, specifically in Berlin, that was the fun capital of Europe at that time.

His father was one of the noble notary and community leaders in Cernauti, Romania, the hometown of James Kok, and an enthusiastic amateur violinist. So James Arthur learned to play violin at home by the way. After graduation he does not like the parents want to study medicine on, but devotes itself entirely to the music. He is a student at the Prague Conservatory, where he mainly violin, but also clarinet, saxophone and piano.

In order to avoid military service in Romania, Kok went to Berlin in 1923. There he founded his first dance band and soon received lucrative engagements in the most popular dance temples of the German metropolis. Tours led him not only to Hamburg, Dresden or Warnemünde, but also to Vienna and Basel. 1931 belongs to his formation of the most successful entertainment orchestras. Like many other successful bandleader, also managed Kok, a number of excellent musicians to gather around, including Franz Grothe, Kurt Fritz Schulz-Reichel and ways - people who will ultimately become a big name.

After 1933 also stands out for the orchestra James Kok the end of the föhlichen jazz sounds from. Not only the Nazis, but also envious fellow musicians put Kok obstacles in the way. Very soon you will find out that Kok has a "non-Aryan" mother, and so he ends up on the hit list of the "Reich Music Chamber". Finally After deliberate interference by the Gestapo and subsequent match ban he received the designation as "Undesirable Aliens". 1935 leaves the musician Germany.

Kok goes back to Romania and buys a lot of money for free from military service. He immediately founded a new band, with which he soon succeeds. In the large, prestigious locations in Bucharest, but also in broadcasting, he finds an enthusiastic public.

Since its notoriety but not limited to Bucharest and environment, he is now looking for ways to go back on tour. Finally he manages to perform in Amsterdam, The Hague and Zurich. In 1939, when war breaks out, Kok goes to Switzerland. There, the authorities put his Romanian musicians close after the war, to leave the country. Kok is immediately a new band, this time with Swiss musicians together. The success remains loyal to him - to him in the late 50s a neuropathy in the arm forces to stop playing the violin. After a long stay with relatives in the USA, he goes back to Berlin in 1969.