Victor Feldman: Biography

• Overview
• Discography
• Biography
• Related Artists

• Milt Jackson
• Terry Gibbs
• Don Friedman
• Bobby Hutcherson
• Vince Guaraldi

• Tom Waits

• Johnny Mandel
• Joseph Conlan

• Chuck Findley
• Michael Omartian
• Tom Scott
• Steve Madaio
• Jeff Porcaro
• Jim Horn
• Larry Carlton

Born:

Apr 7, 1934 in London, England

Died:

May 12, 1987 in Los Angeles, CA

Genres:

Music, Jazz Music, Bop Jazz Music, Fusion Jazz Music, Classical Music, Cool Jazz Music

Decades Active:

1950's|1960's|1970's|1980's

Artistic Quality

High

Cultural Impact

High

Popularity

High

Ratings Guide

Victor Feldman was a child prodigy who was a professional from the age of seven and sat in on drums with Glenn Miller's Army Air Force Band in 1944 when he was ten. He was active in his native England through the bebop years (mostly on drums), debuting as a leader in 1948. By 1952, Feldman was getting better-known for his vibes playing and he recorded extensively during the 1950s. After touring with Woody Herman (1956-1957), he decided to move to the U.S. in 1957, where he worked at the ~Lighthouse with Howard Rumsey. Feldman recorded (on vibes and piano) for Mode, Contemporary, and Riverside during 1957-1961, a period in which he became a busy studio musician. Feldman was with Cannonball Adderley's Quintet (mostly as a pianist) for six months in 1960-1961 and recorded with Miles Davis in 1963 (who offered him a job with his new quintet and recorded his original "Seven Steps to Heaven"), but remained in L.A. and the studios. He cut jazz dates for Choice, Concord, Palo Alto, and TBA and in the 1980s up until his death he led a soulful crossover group (the Generation Band) that often featured his son, Trevor Feldman, on drums.

- Scott Yanow, All Music Guide