Max Jaffa

Max Jaffa OBE (28 December 1911 – 30 July 1991) was a British light orchestral violinist and bandleader. He is best remembered as the leader of the light music Palm Court Orchestra and trio, with Jack Byfield (piano) and Reginald Kilbey (cello), which broadcast on BBC radio.

He was born in London, the first child of Israel and Milly Jaffa who were Russian immigrants. After making his solo debut in a concert at the Palace Pier Theatre in Brighton at the age of 9, he played in the pit of a silent cinema orchestra, to furnish background and atmosphere for silent films, while still at school. He studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and won the Gold Medal. While he was playing at the Piccadilly Hotel, London, he was offered the job of leader of the Scottish Symphony Orchestra, at the age of 17. In World War II, he originally served as Gunner Jaffa in the Royal Artillery, but subsequently joined the Royal Air Force and became a pilot in RAF Bomber Command.

Jaffa was a versatile and accomplished musician, a favourite of Sir Landon Ronald at the Guildhall School. From 1956 until 1986, his concerts from The Spa, Scarborough, were frequently featured on BBC radio. Jaffa recorded the violin and orchestra version of Dark Eyes written by Adalgiso Ferraris. His collaboration with Ferraris included other songs, such as Souvenir d'Ukraine, Gipsy Idylle.

His autobiography, A Life on the Fiddle, was published by Hodder and Stoughton shortly before his death in 1991. Jaffa is cited as a member of the eclectic (and fictional) "orchestra" in The Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band's recording, The Intro and the Outro.

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