Marshall Sosson

American violinist (born August 18, 1910 in Chicago, Illinois – died April 29, 2002 in Los Angeles, California)

(In discographies, his name is sometimes spelled "Marshall Soson.")

Marshall Sosson was equally comfortable playing Classical music, jazz, or pop. Growing up in Chicago's Humboldt Park neighborhood, Sosson studied violin with Max Fischel at the Chicago Musical College and later with [a=Efrem Zimbalist] at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia.

Sosson began his professional career as concertmaster for the staff orchestra of Chicago's WBBM Radio. On the side, he performed with his own his jazz quartet, Marshall Sosson and the Chicagoans, which between 1933 and 1942 regularly broadcast live and coast-to-coast on CBS radio. Sosson also played jazz violin with the orchestras of [a=Paul Whiteman], [a=Benny Goodman], and [a=Artie Shaw].

Drafted during World War II, Sosson served in several Army Air Corps entertainment units. With [a=Felix Slatkin], he served as co-concertmaster of the Army-Air Force orchestra in Santa Ana, California.

After the war, Sosson settled in Los Angeles where he founded the Los Angeles String Trio and Piano Quartet. He gave chamber music recitals with pianist Leonard Stein and cellist and violinist Kurt and Sven Rehr, but also participated in jam sessions with pianist [a=Johnny Guarneri] at the Sacramento Jazz Jubilee. He also become concertmaster for several major Hollywood motion picture studios, including 20th Century Fox, Columbia Films (1947), and [a=Walt Disney] Studios (from 1959). He performs on the soundtrack of "All The Kings Men," "From Here To Eternity," "On The Waterfront," and "Picnic." In 1981, Disney chose him as the concertmaster for the remake of "Fantasia."

Through the years, Sosson also accompanied countless stars on pop music recordings, including [a=Frank Sinatra], [a=Nat King Cole], [a=Ella Fitzgerald], [a=Dean Martin], [a=Quincy Jones], and [a=Frank Zappa].