Across the Atlantic: Vic (Viktoras) Briedis

 By Rūta Skudienė

The mass emigration from Lithuania for political and economic reasons at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century sent many of our compatriots across the Atlantic.

Here is a unique fact from the history of Lithuanian jazz: the pianist Vic (Viktoras) Briedis (1903–1937), a descendant of Lithuanian emigres, performed with the most famous jazzmen in Chicago and New York in the 1920s and 1930s. He learned the basics of playing the piano at the Beethoven Conservatory in Chicago, the only Lithuanian music school in the United States.¹ In his youth, as a pianist, he participated actively in the gatherings organised by the Lithuanian community at Market Park in Chicago. Soon he became famous as one of the best pianists in the band, and various jazz ensembles wanted to take him on board.² In Chicago, Briedis played at the Congress Hotel, Friar’s Inn, the Parody Club and the Cinderella Cafe. In 1926, he began collaborating with the Ben Pollack Orchestra, who came to Chicago from California, and orchestrated music for him.³ Pollack had brought together some of the best white American jazz musicians, with Benny Goodman, Jack Teagarden, Harry James, Glenn Miller, Jimmy McPartland, Tommy Dorsey, and other celebrities playing in his band at different times.⁴ In 1928, Briedis left for New York with Pollack’s band. For a while, the Pollack Orchestra played in the Broadway musical Hello, Daddy in the mornings at the Park Central Hotel, where live radio broadcasts of the concerts took place. In the afternoons he recorded music in the studios of various record companies.⁵ Vic Briedis released a number of records with Pollack's Park Central Orchestra, Benny Goodman's Boys, and other bands. In New York in 1929, two works with the clarinettist Tony Parenti were recorded, and one Old Man Rhythm (Banner 0580) was released.⁶ In 1995, it was re-recorded by Frog Records.⁷ This is one of the earliest jazz recordings, and it features a musician of Lithuanian origin, the pianist Briedis.

In 1930, Briedis became a regular accompanist for the popular Hollywood actress and singer Ruth Etting at many concerts, and released records.⁸ He regularly assisted other actors and singers at Hollywood Warner Brothers.⁹ In 1936, he played in the film Cain and Mabel with Marion Davies and Clark Gable.¹⁰ In 1936, Joe Davis Inc. in New York released Lazy Rhythm; it was first played by the pianist Mikas Juozavitas at the studio of a Lithuanian radio station called Margutis.¹¹

Briedis edited and orchestrated the music for the popular film Gold Diggers of 1937.¹²

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¹ Žilevičius, Juozas. "Lietuvių muzikų vardynas", Muzikos žinios, 1956, No 2, d. 3, p. 38.
² Petrauskaitė, Danutė. Lietuvių muzikinė kultūra Jungtinėse Amerikos Valstijose 1870–1990 (Lithuanian Musical Culture in the United States of America 1870–1990), Vilnius: Vilniaus dailės akademijos leidykla, 2015, p. 20, 258.
³ Ibid., p. 258.
⁴ Strolia, Vytautas. "Lituanika nelietuviškuose garsiniuose įrašuose" (Lithuanian Culture in Non-Lithuanian Sound Recordings, MS), 1995, Lietuvos literatūros ir meno archyvas (Lithuanian Archives of Literature and Art).
⁵ Ibid.
⁶ Ibid.
⁷ Strut Yo’Stuff: Tony Parenti, 1925–29, DGF4, 1995.
⁸ Strolia, op. cit.
⁹ Petrauskaitė, op. cit., p. 258.
¹⁰ Žilevičius, op. cit.
11 “ Lietuvis kompozitorius Viktoras Briedis Amerikoje“ (Lithuanian composer Viktoras Briedis in America), Margutis, 15 April 1936, p.13.
¹² Žilevičius, op. cit.