Are you with me so far? In essence, I was introduced to the world of the rich, the famous, the influential from Peter Duchin's perspective. After her parents divorce, her father remarried to Madeleine Lucienne Meyer, a daughter of Millius Pierre Meyer, in 1926. Tunney said they were alike in that both had famous fathers and grew up in homes of privilege, but that didnt define them. With sincerity and humor, Face the Music offers a moving portrait of an extraordinary life, its disruptions, and revitalization. It was a capacity crowd of a few hundred, and perhaps two dozen couples got out of their chairs to dance the fox trot or a slow Lindy. Mr. Duchin's mother was the late Marjorie Oelrichs of New York and Newport, R. I., who was married to the pianist and orchestra leader in 1935. Maybe the finest autobiography that have read. Brother of Edward (Freddye) Duchin Read More, 10 a.m. at St. Anthony Catholic Church, Belleville. It sometimes frustrates him to play for so many adults who will only dance to rock n roll, particularly because these are people with the fox trot in their blood. Being a fan of big bands and of jazz, I really wanted to read Peter Duchin's biography. December 11, 2021. People ate it up when Mr. Duchin paused between numbers to tell stories from his past. This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. Duchin is an honorary member and former Vice-Chairman of the New York State Council on the Arts. "When somebody gets jobs before he's worked his way up the ladder he'd better be good," says Duchin, a decent pianist who long ago learned to scope out a crowd and hit the tempo to get folks dancing. Paul Duchin, 76 of Livingston, NJ passed away on January 28th after a short illness. He has been married to Virginia Coleman since 2012. His later career was in the insurance industry Read More, Funeral Service 10 a.m. at David C. Brown Funeral Home, Belleville. Read More, Beloved husband of Cecelia Duchin. She enjoyed music, knitting, crocheting, cooking and baking. Mr. Duchin is thick-chested and ruddy-faced, with a mane of sandy hair just on the long side of businesslike. Everybody will get up when they hear the opening bars, he said. Theres a whiff of old-time romance here and a few scraps of meaty gossip (the juiciest about Pamela Harriman in her more mercenary days). (His father died when Mr. Duchin was 13. I hang out with people I dig, people who are interesting. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. As he recovered, Duchin studied the photos of his parentshere with his father, Eddyto try to get more insight into their brief lives. She is survived by her daughters, Faye Duchin of Stamford and Read More, Evelyn Duchin on April 2, 2009. 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When she died a few days after giving birth to Peter, his father was apparently so pained, and certain that his frail newborn son was also dying, that he decided to go on an extensive tour with his orchestra. Really enjoyed it. Devoted mother of Anita Wornick & her husband Ronald, Howard Lev & his wife Susan, Peter Lev, the Read More, Alice Lev Duchin (Zablotsky), age 97, of Roslindale, formerly of Chelsea and Malden, on Wednesday, April 17, 2013. My dream was always that he hadnt died and when I was playing in the Maisonette Room at the St. Regis, he would be playing at the Waldorf.. Read More, Duchin, Mary Kathryn (Nee Kaiser) Mary began training for Heaven's Marathon, Saturday, April 13th, at the age of 79. She scandalized them by appearing in cigarette ads in the '20s. She Read More, MARY DUCHIN was for 50 years a much-loved English teacher at Bayonne High School in Bayonne, NJ. Born in Yonkers Read More, Duchin, Sally Pomeranz In loving memory of Sally Pomeranz Duchin, 88, of Tucson, AZ and Houston, TX, passed away on February 1, 2022. I dont know what she had against the City of Brotherly Love, but she called a really big terrible party a Philadelphia rat-fuck. Hilarity was the dominant note. But in 2013, Duchin suffered a stroke that left him with limited use of his left . Every item on this page was chosen by a Town & Country editor. I agree with Muschamp that music inspires memory and mood and, as he also wrote, evaporates into ambience. Im awfully glad he didnt use the word glamorous. From 1985 to 1989, Duchin had a professional partnership with Jimmy Maxwell, leader of the traditional society jazz band in New Orleans. Source for information on Duchin, Peter (Oelrichs) 1937 . About music, about style, about survival with a smile. Really never heard of Peter or his father, but was pulled into the period. Each of them knows about 3,000 songs. All along, he had just been a rich little poor boy, whose trust from his father was barely enough to cover basic expenses and fine schooling. His mother was Marjorie Oelrichs, a Newport, Rhode Island and New York City. He has played for presidents, kings, and queens, as well as for civil rights and cultural organizations. As it continued, it became nothing but a who's who of the rich and famous. Mr. Duchin cut his engagement schedule by half when he turned 70 two years ago, so that he now plays around 60 gigs a year, but he's still a visible presence on the fall and holiday benefit. Loving mother of Dr. Sheldon & Jackie Duchin of Sharon, and Mark Duchin of Milton. Of course not. His soaring talent as a musician is well-known, and he deserves world-wide recognition for his music, but Peter is more than a music man, hes an uncommon man with theinvaluable gift of sharing life itself with a common touch.. [5], She became the wife of dance bandleader Eddy Duchin after the two met at the Waldorf, and they wed at her mother's apartment at the Hotel Pierre on June 5, 1935, officiated by Judge Vincent Lippe. Duchin with vocalist and guitarist Roberta Fabiano when he received the Living Landmark Award from the New York Landmarks Conservancy. In the final section, Duchin reveals how his career and public celebrity were made possible by his brilliant social connections. DUCHIN, Peter (Oelrichs) 1937-PERSONAL: Born July 28, 1937, in New York, NY; son of Eddy Duchin (a pianist) and Marjorie (Oelrichs) Duchin; married Cheray Zauderer, June 22, 1964 (divorced, 1982); married Brooke Hayward (an actress and writer), December 24, 1985; children: (first marriage) Jason Edwin, Courtnay Oelrichs, Colin Zauderer. His mother, Marjorie Oelrichs Duchin, was described by newspapers at the time of her marriage as a New York and Newport socialite, though by marrying Eddy Duchin, a Jew and an entertainer, she was forced to relinquish her spot in the Social Register. His second wife, from whom he recently separated, was the actress Brooke Hayward. In the late 70s through the 80s, when everybody was into show tunes, was probably when I was best known, he said. He is survived by his beloved sister Leslie Heller, his brother in law Hugh Heller, and adoring nephews. It was in this period that I finally got to know them in a way. There have been peaks and valleys since. Peter's mother died of complications from his birth, and he is raised by Averell Harriman (former governor of New York and diplomat) and his wife, Marie. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. I know no art more atmospheric than the music of Peter Duchin The bandsspecialties are memory and moodthe production of feelings under controlled circumstances. A maternal aunt was suffragist Alison Turnbull Hopkins. Hospital scenes should be depressing, but in his hands they arent; descriptions of midcentury New York should be fascinating, and they are. He had my return ticket to New York in hand. Cherished father of Sandra (John) Moe, Michael, and Deborah (Mark) Wilutis. Not a great book but an enjoyable and interesting read. The odd thing about Peter Duchins book is that he provides little, if any, information about his fathers family. Peter Duchin was born on July 28, 1937 in New York City, New York, USA. As a wedding gift, her father gave them a Thoroughbred yearling named Mr. We are playing gigs almost every week, he explained. Our mission is to get Southern California reading and talking. The son of famed swing-era bandleader Eddy Duchin and the liberated Newport blueblood Marjorie Oelrichs, Peter Duchin has led an intriguing and glamorous life: fishing with Hemingway in Idaho, quail-shooting with Jock Whitney in Georgia, fooling around with Paris showgirls on his Right Bank barge, late-night partying with Sinatra and Astaire. Lots of parties. Opinion. It was time to earn a living, she said. concerts, tea dances and debutante parties. When I opened the hatch and looked up, I saw well-polished shoes, then pinstriped suit pants: there was Averell. They got loose. Over the years Mr. Duchin, as both pianist and bandleader, has provided the musical entertainment at an estimated 6,000 celebrations. Loving grandfather of Rachel, Hillel, Elana, Yitzchak, Bracha, Rena, Batya, Austin Duchin, and Adam Burt Shapiro. Mr. Harriman, in addition to having served on President Harry S. Trumans cabinet, and governor of New York, was also one of the richest men in the country. Dad was shorthand for a series of Eddy Duchin standards that began with Embraceable You and ended with Stormy Weather. He also played his fathers theme song, Chopins Nocturne in E flat. I just see fewer parties where people want a traditional dance band, he said over lunch at the Century Association, his Midtown club. But it was too late to establish warm ties. While at Yale, Duchin decided to take a junior year abroad to study French at the Sorbonne. And what can he tell us of glamour, something Duchin has forgotten more about than you or I will ever know? Harvey completed high school at West Orange High School, West Orange, N.J. A good break between heavier things. The phrase "society bandleader" has a snooty ring to it. After his divorce from Zauderer, in 1985 Duchin married Brooke Hayward, with whom he had been living since 1981. In later life he suffered the unwelcome neglect of his famous stepmother, Pamela . He was born in Everett, Mass., and came to Sarasota from Liberty, N.Y. In 1964, he married Cheray Zauderer, a divorced Manhattan socialite with whom he eventually had three children. Her cheering section of friends and family were at her side along the course with her AngelsGrace colleagues. The Harrimans became his family. (Age 73) On December 21, 2010 of McLean, VA. Loving husband for 45 years of Belle Brent Clay Ward Duchin; father of Elizabeth Ward Duchin White (Paul), Massachusetts and Belle Clay Duchin Deming (Bruce) of Arlington, VA. Also survived by Read More, Ronald was born on December 8, 1937 and passed away on Tuesday, December 21, 2010. Mr. Duchin, the celebrated orchestra leader, plays at weddings, bar mitzvahs bank openings, charity balls, proms. Duchin, who has three grown children from his first marriage and is today married to writer Brooke Hayward -- her 1977 best-selling memoir, "Haywire," told the story of her famous family's disintegration -- grew up as an outsider despite living within the privileged world of the Harrimans and Vanderbilts. He has served on the boards of American Ballet Theatre, Carnegie Hall, Spoleto Festival USA, The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the board of Trustees for the Glimmerglass Opera of Cooperstown, New York, the Advisory Council for the American Russian Youth Orchestra, the National Jazz Service Organization, the World Policy Institute, and the Citizens Committee For New York City. Much of the time the writing is bland, but sometimes a truly amusing and not always tasteful bit emerges; theres little to match the excruciating horror of the time Duchin stepped on and crushed a dates pet Yorkie. [3], A well-known New York and Newport beauty, she was described by Vogue as having "waxen skin and eyebrows like butterflies. Beloved wife of the late Samuel Lev and the late Martin Gates. An avid student, Sally graduated with a PhD in Allied Read More, Joel Bruce Duchin Highland Heights, KY - Joel Bruce Duchin, age 75, of Highland Heights Kentucky died Tuesday, January 19th at his home after a courageous battle with brain cancer. As he grows up, Peter becomes well acquainted with the rich and famous in America and Europe and eventually achieves musical success on his own. THERE are certain people for whom a party doesnt rate if the Peter Duchin Orchestra isnt playing. Peter Duchin, whose new memoir is out now, and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis in New York City in 1971. I asked a friend who had a career as an editor of fashion magazines what she thought about glamour. Numbers to tell stories from his past, the influential from Peter Duchin the bandsspecialties are and! 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