| Biography | Max Jaffa OBE (28 December 1911 30 July 1991) was a British light orchestral violinist and bandleader.
He was born in London, the first child of Israel and Milly Jaffa who were Russian immigrants. He started playing 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. From 1960 until 1986, his concerts from The Spa, Scarborough, were frequently featured on BBC radio.
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. |