Eulogies

Marshall Sosson, Violinist and Studio Concertmaster, Dies at 91

Marshall Sosson, concertmaster at many Hollywood studios, died on April 29, 2002, at the age of 91.

Music was his fountain of youth. A passionate and tender nature sang through his violin. Active professionally for 60 years, first in Chicago and later in Los Angeles, he was a virtuoso of classical repertoire and improvisational jazz, and excelled as concertmaster of orchestras for Hollywood’s major motion picture studios and record companies. Wherever he worked, musicians respected his artistry and were drawn to his warm and generous spirit. He energized, inspired, amused and enriched the lives of his devoted friends and family.

He studied with Max Fischel at the Chicago Musical College, and with Efram Zimbalist at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. During the ’30s and ’40s, his jazz quartet, Marshall Sosson and the Chicagoans, made regular coast-to-coast live radio broadcasts. He played with the swing bands of Paul Whiteman, Benny Goodman and Artie Shaw. An army enlistee, he shared co-concertmaster duties with Felix Slatkin of the Army-Air Force orchestra in Santa Ana. After the war, he formed the Los Angeles String Trio and Piano Quartet, giving chamber music recitals with pianist Leonard Stein and cellist and violinist Kurt and Sven Rehr, varying his diet of serious music with rollicking jam sessions with pianist Johnny Guerneri at the Sacramento Jazz Jubilee.

He recorded with the giants of popular music — Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole and Ella Fitzgerald. In such films as "All The Kings Men," "From Here To Eternity," "On The Waterfront" and "Picnic," his set tone and sure phrasing perfectly underscored a film’s meaning. He was especially proud of being chosen as concertmaster for Disney’s 1981 rerecording of "Fantasia" and responsible for selecting the 60-piece string selection. His was a long life of bravos.

He is survived by his sister-in-law, Sylvia; nephews, Steven and Michael; niece, Deena; grandnieces, Julie Braly and Vivien Braly Arquilevich; great-grandnephews, Jonah and Max; in-laws, Harriet and Norman Beck; and many other friends and family. — Deena Sosson

Judy Kurz Gold, Midwife and Artist, Dies at 59

Judy Kurz Gold, midwife and artist, died on April 28, 2002, at the age of 59.

She died after a two-year struggle with lung cancer at Kibbutz Hatzerim in Israel. She is the wife of Dr. Jonathan Gold; mother of Ilan, Tali, Noam and Aviv Kurz; grandmother of Ori Kurz; and daughter of Ruth Faine and the late UCLA professor Hy Faine.

We mourn her death. Condolences can be sent to ruthfaine@yahoo.com. — Rachel and Tom Tugend