45.3K subscribers Peter Duchin, the premier society bandleader, and pianist of our time, led a charmed life, dated Audrey Hepburn and Kim Novak, accompanied Sinatra, and did the White House.. Mr. Duchin was an engineer with Gloria Duchin Read More, DUCHIN Freddye Mae Duchin age 87 of San Antonio passed away Thursday, May 31, 2012. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. He recalled that in the heyday of caf society, the inhabitants came from many walks of lifethey were joined by the noteworthy, by people in the entertainment business, and more: today you often find that manners are missing, he noted. Her cheering section of friends and family were at her side along the course with her AngelsGrace colleagues. After his divorce from Zauderer, in 1985 Duchin married Brooke Hayward, with whom he had been living since 1981. Everything required for the child's health and comfort was provided carefully and thoughtfully. Dear grandmother of Mark (Jacki) and Katie Bergner. Variations: Viewing All | Peter Duchin. He imbued the room with joy and shared fond memories with the elegant crowd, revealing that his most memorable party wasnt Capotes or even a night at the White Houseit happened right here in Chicago: I was asked to bring my 10-piece orchestra to the Palmer House by the hostess who shared no other details, Duchin recalled. But Duchin, the musician of choice for debutante balls and posh private parties, is a charming, down-to-earth chap whose jazzy mien suggests Woody Herman far more than Lester Lanin. 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 hes still a visible presence on the fall and holiday benefit circuits. It was begun as a meditation on his need to know more about the mother he lost almost at birth (Would we recognize each other if we passed on the street? I actually couldn't relate to much of it. "People expect you to live up to your father, and be better. David Netto. Lots of parties. His mothers best friend, Marie was very much like a mother to him: My own mother was not only beautiful and charming, she was unusual. Highly recommended. He served in the Navy in WWII and graduated from Emerson College, Boston in 1951. When I opened the hatch and looked up, I saw well-polished shoes, then pinstriped suit pants: there was Averell. But in 2013, Duchin suffered a stroke that left him with limited use of his left . . Survived by nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends. When I came along, there were a dozen clubs in town to play, places like El Morocco and the Maisonette in the St. Regis, where people would go to dance, Mr. Duchin said. To receive obit/directions text 1842754 to 414-301-6422. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Reading Time: 3 minutes. Get help and learn more about the design. Profile: He is an American pianist and band leader, born July 28, 1937 in New York City, New York. He graduated from Yale and moved to Paris, meeting the greatest jazz musicians of the 50s and frittering away what was left of his funds. Duchin was the only child of Eddy Duchin and Marjorie Oelrichs, a socialite who died soon after Peter's birth. It is even more difficult to define, and, unlike pornography, the real thing is rare. Beard interviewed Duchin for the aforementioned program that night and like the audience, her admiration for her subject was apparent. Beloved husband of Betty L. (Criche) for over 60 years. I graduated GeorgetownNursing and I know where the Harriman house was. I like to let my musicians improvise a bit., Mr. Duchin likes modern music and is proud that his band was the first to perform rock n roll at the White House, when he was hired for the weddings of Lyndon Johnsons daughters. 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. See the article in its original context from. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. That was a stroke of good fortune. Services at Read More, (Nee Nolte) Found peace April 17, 2006 at the age of 87. Place of Burial Private. During his recovery period, his bed was moved into his downstairs study, his wife placing beloved Cecil Beaton photos of his parents right onto the bookcase for him to look at daily. The art historian Herbert Muschamp was interested in the same magic. Hes intuitive and observant and has that natural driving curiosity. "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. Read More, Duchin, Mary Kathryn (Nee Kaiser) Mary began training for Heaven's Marathon, Saturday, April 13th, at the age of 79. It means youre so old a pigeon can land on you, he said while seated at the piano during cocktail hour. I asked a friend who had a career as an editor of fashion magazines what she thought about glamour. His father, the legendary bandleader Eddy Duchin, died when Peter was twelve; his mother, Marjorie Oelrichs Duchin, died when Peter was just six days old. Devoted mother of Michael, Jr. and Jason. Theyre more Sinatra, Bobby Darin.. Theres lots of searing reality here, but no fewer laughs. Devoted grandmother of Scott, Eric, Deb (Dan), Patty (Bart), Michelle (Steve), Matt, and Andy. They certainly couldnt argue that the child lacked opportunities, being brought up in the home of an Protestant American prince. To wit, although his band played the inaugural balls and White House dinners of every president from Lyndon B. Johnson through Bill Clinton, he didnt perform for George W. Bush and hasnt been asked by President Obama. 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. Dear father of Paul Duchin, Neal (Chaya) Duchin, Steven (Paula) Duchin and the late Burt Alan Duchin. [1], Duchin formed his first professional band, which played the St. Regis Hotel in New York City, in 1962 thanks in part to his family name and the networking it had made possible. The Elegant World of Peter Duchin - The Washington Post The Elegant World of Peter Duchin By Lynn Darling September 10, 1978 ANNED AND IN HIS tennis whites, Peter Duchin ambled slowly. I want to be exciting enough to get them to do that, but not intrusive., The singer and pianist Michael Feinstein, a friend who has put in his share of nights playing parties, said, The music Peter plays is music to entertain and make people feel wonderful at parties and events that would and will suffer tremendously without it.. His later career was in the insurance industry Read More, Funeral Service 10 a.m. at David C. Brown Funeral Home, Belleville. Lets conclude the soundtrack with Make Someone Happy, the theme song of Peter Duchins orchestra. Obituaries. Funeral Mass 10 a.m. Friday at St. Anthony Catholic Church, Belleville. Born May 23, 1945, in Newark, New Jersey, son of Harry and Bess (ne Goldberg) Duchin. By and large he has been plying an increasingly endangered trade. He was also a board member for The Center for Arts Education. Sure, the rich and famous are different from you and me, as F. Scott Fitzgerald might have put it: Thats because their friends have excuses to write gossipy books like this. Mr. Duchins father, Eddy Duchin, was also a bandleader and was famous for a string of Top 10 records in the 1930s. With the death of his mother shortly after his birth, Peter's father, Eddie Duchin, the nation's premier band leader, was on the road 300 days a year and so he was "adopted"/raised by . He could have been inspired by something that happened when he was in Eddy Duchins living room.. Also survived by other relatives and friends. It makes everybody look like theyre a good dancer. 143 in the Cashbox survey, 1964. Beloved wife of the late Philip. The odd thing about Peter Duchins book is that he provides little, if any, information about his fathers family. Mr. Duchin likes to chalk up his success to a combination of birthright and social profile, invoking not only his background but also that he bolstered his fame by playing small roles, mostly as bandleaders, in a number of movies (including Six Degrees of Separation and Working Girl) and writing mystery novels with a co-author, John Morgan Wilson. In the 1996 memoir Ghost of a Chance, his son Peter wrote of the factual discrepancies in the film The Eddy Duchin Story . Ive come to feel that part of my job is to keep alive the American songbook, he continued, speaking of the jazz and musical-theater standards that were the dominant pop form for nearly half a century, and naming Cole Porter, the Gershwins, Richard Rodgers and Harold Arlen. Read More, Duchin, Florence "Sue" (Nee Lillge) Age 86. This month he is booked at the Blue and Gray Colonels Ball in Montgomery, Ala., in addition to the Metropolitan Operas annual New Years Eve gala. One of Peters most endearing qualities has always been that hes the kind of guy who can talk to anyone, and who, importantly, is actually interested in almost anyones conversation regardless of their station in life, their job, their background, or their social or political connections. THERE are certain people for whom a party doesnt rate if the Peter Duchin Orchestra isnt playing. In his own recovery, Duchin spent many months fitting pennies into a piano-shaped bank to strengthen his left hand, which was affected by the stoke. Duchin was born in New York City, the son of pianist and band leader Eddy Duchin. "When I was younger, people had a much more carefree attitude at a party. Sports. He moved to California in the 50's and worked as an actor. (His father died when Mr. Duchin was 13. A lot of adults arent very graceful when they try to dance like kids, he said. She was singing Its High Time from the musical Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Later, at the bar, Mr. Duchin was asked what he made of Ms. Smiths singing voice. We are playing gigs almost every week, he explained. He is an actor, known for The Post (2017), Working Girl (1988) and Jade (1995). A son was born last Friday to Peter Duchin, the pianist and orchestra leader, and Mrs. Duchin, the former Cheray Zauderer, in the LyingIn Hospital. He was born in Everett, Mass., and came to Sarasota from Liberty, N.Y. Mary was a resident of Delafield, Wisconsin at the time of passing Read More, Paul Duchin Dearest brother and uncle, 76 Paul Duchin, 76, of Livingston, N.J., passed away on Jan. 28, 2018, after a short illness. Harvey was born in Newark, N.J., on July 12, 1938, son of Harry and Bessie (Goldberg) Duchin. 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. Duchins books, including his latest, Face the Music, are available wherever fine books are sold. 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He used his time in recovery to encourage fellow patients undergoing physical therapy to make themselves happy no matter what. It was in this period that I finally got to know them in a way. I hang out with people I dig, people who are interesting. She had a shop in New York and also posed for Lucky Strike.. Who cares? she said. The young boy was raised primarily by his godparents, the illustrious W. Averell. The child, the couple's third, has been named Colin Z. Maybe the finest autobiography that have read. Born with a respiratory illness, Duchin was given only two weeks to live. Cherished father of Sandra (John) Moe, Michael, and Deborah (Mark) Wilutis. His mother was Marjorie Oelrichs, a Newport, Rhode Island and New York City socialite who died unexpectedly when he was just five days old. It's just a phone book"), came from "the poor side" of the Oelrich family. The controls are derived from upper-class American etiquette, an association some are put off by[but] Ill take my atmosphere where I can get it The upper crust isnt too low for me Duchins music was as integral to the 1960s as Lou Reeds Velvet Underground Duchin played at the St. Regis; Reed on St. Marks Placebut both were featured on the soundtrack of the city, when New York society was opening up.. Segue to Eddy Duchins signature tune, Chopins Nocturne in E-flat. Everyone remembers the parties where they danced all night, Mr. Duchin said. Like I said at the beginning, it was interesting, not great. 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. The word glamour, which comes from Scots, means magic and enchantment, and for me, certain kinds of music have those qualities. 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