Jazz pianist, orchestra leader, composer. From 1927 he played in various orchestras in Denmark and abroad before forming his own band in 1936. This band obtained an incredible popularity during the German occupation of Denmark from 1940 to 1945. During the summer months he played in the Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen, and young people and jazz enthusiasts flocked to dance to his music. When the Germans banned performing in English he went on singing with a big cigar stuck between his teeth making the text unrecognizable, but the Danes knew every word by heart. The Nazis hated to see the people jazzing and swinging and generally enjoying themselves, and in June 1944 - right at the hight of the summer season - they bombed the Tivoli Gardens destroying most of the buildings and amusements. His recordings of his own songs, such as "Take It Easy", "To Be or Not to Be" and "Anita", are as popular to-day as they were when recorded in the 1940s. His music was used in the feature film "Take It Easy" in 1986, and a street in Copenhagen has been named after him.
Jazz pianist, orchestra leader, composer. From 1927 he played in various orchestras in Denmark and abroad before forming his own band in 1936. This band obtained an incredible popularity during the German occupation of Denmark from 1940 to 1945. During the summer months he played in the Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen, and young people and jazz enthusiasts flocked to dance to his music. When the Germans banned performing in English he went on singing with a big cigar stuck between his teeth making the text unrecognizable, but the Danes knew every word by heart. The Nazis hated to see the people jazzing and swinging and generally enjoying themselves, and in June 1944 - right at the hight of the summer season - they bombed the Tivoli Gardens destroying most of the buildings and amusements. His recordings of his own songs, such as "Take It Easy", "To Be or Not to Be" and "Anita", are as popular to-day as they were when recorded in the 1940s. His music was used in the feature film "Take It Easy" in 1986, and a street in Copenhagen has been named after him.
Bio by: Erik Skytte
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