Elesdisc:
Last of the Jewish Music Record Labels in Europe

The decade following the end of the Second World War saw a final flowering of recordings of Jewish music in Europe. This took place in France - a region hitherto notable for an extreme lack of such recordings.
 
At least 350 titles were published during this period by a variety of small labels, but three labels alone account for 288 of these. These labels were Elesdisc, Le Disque Folklorique Yiddish and Saturne. Elesdisc was by far the most prolific with at least 138 titles to its credit (not all of them Jewish, as will be explained later). The label was founded by Léon Speiser whose initials L.S. are reflected in the company name Elesdisc. Léon was a son of Wolf Speiser, an immigrant from Odessa and owner of the well-known Jewish bookshop, record store and, it would seem, general Jewish social centre at 34, rue des Rosiers in the ancient Marais district of Paris. Wolf Speiser also regularly published an almanac, known as the Yiddish-Franzoïscher Kalendar which had the reputation of being the essential guide to Paris for Jews newly arrived from eastern Europe. 'Board a coach. Go to the rue des Rosiers, walk into Rozentraum or Landau's restaurant and ask for for a place to stay and a job,' he advised newcomers in the first edition of the almanac published in 1910. According to Jean‑Pierre Azéma, the shop began to run into financial difficulties in 1929 and Wolf died 6 February 1941. Also according to Jean‑Pierre Azéma, after the war one of Wolf's sons attempted to restart his father's business but soon died. This is hard to reconcile with the busy recording schedule of the decade following 1945 (or even longer if one takes into account Elesdisc's continuance into the LP era). Probably then, this son who died so soon was not Léon but a brother of his.
 
It is obvious from the number of Elesdisc recordings that were reissued on other labels such as Melodisc and Stinson and from the large numbers of Elesdisc records that are still being traded by record dealers on a daily basis, that these records were made and sold in considerable quantities. Despite this apparent success, very little is known about Léon Speiser, his record company or even about the recording artists. For example, we do not at present even know for sure where or when precisely the recordings were made, nor what their critical reception was. Nor do we know what prompted him to launch this venture. Perhaps he nurtured frustrated longings to get into show business. One of the recordings, 'Mir a bisel' (catalogue number LS - 32 B), notes a certain L. Speiser as co-lyricist together with Henri Gerro. It seems highly probable that this L. Speiser was in fact Léon, in which case he certainly does appear to have had ambitions beyond the world of business.
 
It seems likely that Léon Speiser used the services of an established record company to actually record the artists and we know for certain that in some instances at least he used another company to press the discs, as several records bear the words 'Fabrication "Philips"' e.g. LS-39 (Sarah Gorby).
 
Elesdisc did not just issue Jewish recordings. Of the titles so far identified, 6 are French, 4 Hungarian, 4 Romanian and 26 Russian, with the remaining 98 being Jewish (46 titles remain unaccounted for at the moment, though quite possibly the catalogue numbers were simply never allocated).
 
The core group of artists used by Elesdisc for its Jewish recordings were Henri Gerro, Elvira Boczkowska, Simon Nussbaum, Max Neufeld, Dave Cash, Sarah Gorby and Richard Inger. Where these artists came from originally and what had brought them all to France at this time is hard to establish. Apart from Sarah Gorby, whose career is fairly well documented, it has so far proved surprisingly difficult to obtain even the most basic biographical information about the other artists. Sarah Gorby, who had lived in France for many years before the war and spent the war years in the USA, and Dave Cash (by now an Israeli citizen) were originally from Romania, while it would seem that Richard Inger was probably from Germany. In his article Teatro Idisch En Buenos Aires, Marcos Rosenzvaig states that Henri Gerro arrived in Argentina in the 1930s, whereas in her article Teatro Judío En Argentina Prof. Rosa Rapoport states that Gerro along with Elvira Boczkowska, Simon Nussbaum, and Max Neufeld came to Argentina after the war. It is especially surprising that even Henri Gerro who, together with his Argentinian wife Rosita Londner, was to become one of the best known figures on the international Yiddish musical stage in the 1950s and 1960s, remains an inexplicably obscure figure. In addition to her contribution to the Jewish repertoire, Sarah Gorby also recorded many of the Romanian and Russian titles on Elesdisc (in the concert hall she was, perhaps, even better known for her recitals of Russian, Romanian and Gypsy songs than for her performances in Yiddish). The Polish-born Belgian singer J. Zaludkowski (who recorded as Ben Baruch and was mainly active on the Saturne label) also contributed a few Israeli songs. Cantorial recordings are noticeable by their absence.

Elesdisc Recording Artists

Elvira Boczkowska	Henri Gerro	Sarah Gorby	Max Neufeld	Simon Nussbaum

On the record labels Henri Gerro is frequently referred to as 'du Cabaret "La Riviera"' but it would seem that Dave Cash was also one of the regulars at this venue. In March 1949 the Jewish Chronicle in London published a short account of this cabaret and a few months later reviewed a performance by its stars given during the course of visit to London. As information about this troupe is so hard to come by, it is worth reproducing both articles in full.

A POPULAR JEWISH CABARET

Israeli Artists

[From our Own Correspondent—Paris]

Probably the most popular of the many Jewish theatres, cabarets, and night clubs in Paris is "La Riviera," the fashionable rendezvous on the Rue St. Martin.  Hardly a Jew passes through Paris without visiting these lavishly decorated premises where the high standard of the songs, partly composed by the artists themselves, leaves one with a fine impression of Jewish folk humour and wit.

During intervals in the programme, which is performed in Yiddish, one can dance to Jewish music artistically adapted for the purpose.  Chassidic and Jewish folk music has been arranged for dancing by the well-known Israeli conductor, Bernard Potok, who composes his own songs, many of which have been recorded and sold in large numbers to Jews throughout the world.  Some have been broadcast by Radio France.  Señor Juan Bramuglia, Foreign Minister of Argentina, remarked after seeing the revue, that even Latin-American orchestras could not produce better effects than Potok's Israeli band.

Performances in Middle East

Potok and Dave Cash, also an Israeli and the chief comedian, are well known for their performances to the British Army in the Middle East.  Cash writes his own scripts and composes his own songs, which satirise contemporary art and politics, giving the intelligent listener a background of the lights and shadows of Paris life.  His wife, Lydia Cash, appears in the show as his dancing partner.

Henry Gero, ex-Yeshiva student, gives a brilliant one-man show of Jewish types from Eastern Europe, presenting a series of picture stories from the small town life in Poland and Russia, and bringing back to life a world that has vanished.  Through Gero, one can see Jewish life in all its sufferings and joy as we knew it in pre-Hitler days.

During the recent session of the United Nations in Paris, "La Riviera" was frequented by members of the Israeli delegation, including Mr. Moshe Sharett, the Foreign Minister, and by Jewish members of other delegations.

Now, apparently, news of the success of "La Riviera" has reached London.  Visiting the popular rendezvous lately, I met Mr. M. Susman, the London impresario and talent scout, who told me he has arranged for the members of the revue to fly to London next month to give several performances at the Scala Theatre.  Mr S. Goldstein, one of the comedians in the revue, appeared in London before the war with the Ararat Theatre Company of Warsaw.

[The Jewish Chronicle: 18 March 1949, p.11]

THE JEWISH REVUE

 London Jews are, for two weeks, having an opportunity to enjoy the Yiddish cabaret artists who have been gaining such popularity in Paris at "La Riviera."  Headed by the Israeli entertainers, Dave Cash and Bernard Potock, the cabaret becomes, at the Alex Theatre, Stoke Newington, a revue ; and although this adaptation of intimate entertainment to the needs of a large theatre is not completely successful, a rich feast of fun and folk music is provided.  Dave Cash is one of the most amusing and versatile comedians to have been seen here for a long time.  He is a witty raconteur, a graceful dancer, and sings clever songs of his own composition.  Cash and Szmulek Goldstein (a member of the celebrated Ararat troupe of pre-war Warsaw) give the revue's most hilarious moments in a piece of foolery concerning a lost button.  Mr. Potock, on his accordion and trumpet, skilfully plays "Yiddish boogy-woogy."  Maurice Brock and Rachel Reles sing folk songs, and Lida Cash dances.

 A.B.L.

[The Jewish Chronicle: 20 May 1949, p22]

The musical accompaniment on Elesdisc recordings was directed by Bernard Potock, Henrik Gold, Ben Horris, Robin Laufer, Mischa Grigorieff, Léonce Calembert and others.  More often than not they also arranged or wrote the music.  Once more, biographical material concerning most of these artists has proved hard to find.  Henrik Gold [Henryk Gold] was one of the leading bandleaders and composers of light music in pre-war Poland, while Ben Horris (Benjamin Moscovitz) was the leader of the orchestra at the Paris Lido from 1933 to 1946, thereafter working in Russian restaurants in Paris and in casinos on the coast.  As regards the others, so far little or no information has come to light, though Robin Laufer appears to have been appointed Director of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music in 1957.

No information exists as to where and when these recordings were made.  Some of them are without doubt reissues of recordings made by other companies.  A prime example of this is LS-12 - A kalle bezetzen - performed by the Ensemble Ukrainien Rabinovitch.  The matrix numbers DV 5190 and DV 5191 etched into the shellac in the run-off area of the disc are positive proof that this is the same recording that was originally recorded in Kiev in May 1937 and subsequently released in the Soviet Union by the Aprelevskii Zavod.  The recordings by American artists Benny Bell and Chaim Towber may well be reissues of material recorded in the USA, but as no detailed information about these discs is available at the moment, little useful can be said on the matter.  It was not unknown for American Jewish artists on tour in Europe to record a few sides during their visit;  for example, Molly Picon accompanied by an orchestra conducted by Abe Ellstein recorded a couple of sides in London in 1936.  In view of this, these recordings by American artists could also turn out to be original recordings made in Europe.

As already pointed out, there is no indication as to when these recordings were made.  The dates entered in the Elesdisc discography are approximate only, being the dates on which copies of the records were lodged with the Bibliothèque Nationale de France.  All that can be said with certainty, therefore, is that any given record was not made later than such date.

Around about 1956, 78 rpm discs began to be replaced by the 45 rpm single and EP and the 33 1/3rd  rpm LP.  Elesdisc made the transition and continued to issue records in the new formats, but the extent to which they were original recordings or reissues of previously released records, is something that has yet to be established.  At some time or other the company ceased to operate.  When this was is impossible to determine at the moment but some time in the late 1960s or early 1970s seems probable.  Whenever it was precisely, its demise signalled the end in Europe of recordings of Jewish music on any meaningful scale - the end of an era that had begun in1898.

Sources

Web sources

Author unknown - L'histoire juive du Marais
http://www.paris.fr/portail/viewmultimediadocument?multimediadocument-id=14734

Author unknown - Du refuge au piège - Les juifs dans le Marais
http://www.v1.paris.fr/fr/La_Mairie/salle_de_presse/dossiers_presse/pdf/expo_juifs_marais.pdf

Bernadette Costa - Je me souviens du Marais
http://www.hagalil.com/europa/frankreich/marais.htm

Vincent Monnier - L'énigme du Pletzl
http://parisobs.nouvelobs.com/hebdo/parution/p222_2114/dossier/a268404-leacutenigme_du_pletzl.html

Prof. Rosa Rapoport - Teatro Judío En Argentina
http://martignoni.wordpress.com/2007/11/22/teatro judio en argentina/