Israel Baker


Israel Baker was an American violinist and concertmaster. Through a long and varied career, he played with many of the greatest figures in the worlds of classical music, jazz and pop.
He appeared on hundreds of recordings by artists as diverse as Igor Stravinsky, Ella Fitzgerald, and Tom Waits, and appeared on many film scores including Psycho and Jonathan Livingstone Seagull. Baker was the concertmaster on The Dameans Beginning Today album from 1973.

Biography

Born in Chicago, he was the youngest of four children of Russian immigrants. He showed great talent as a violinist from an early age, appearing on national radio at the age of six. By the age of 22 Baker was concertmaster of Leopold Stokowski’s All-American Youth Orchestra. Later, he was a member of Arturo Toscanini’s NBC Symphony Orchestra. During World War II, he served as a violinist with the Army Air Forces in Atlantic City, NJ, playing requests to entertain wounded comrades.
After the war, Baker increasingly gravitated towards the West Coast and session work, including work with the famed "Wrecking Crew", although he continued to be a presence in concert halls across the United States. He formed a duo with pianist Yaltah Menuhin; they made their New York debut in 1951. In 1961, he played alongside violinist Jascha Heifetz and cellist Gregor Piatigorsky in a series of chamber concerts, and in 1964, he recorded Arnold Schoenberg's "Fantasy for Violin & Piano" with Glenn Gould. He recorded many of Stravinsky's scores for CBS with Stravinsky himself conducting. He then went on to lead the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. Away from the concert hall, he led the West Coast version of the CBS Symphony.
He died at his home in Studio City, California on December 25, 2011, following a stroke.

Personal life

Baker was married twice: to Caroline, who died in 1974, and then to Imelda Corrigan from Dublin Ireland. They were married for over 30 years until his death. He had three children from his first marriage.
He is the grandfather to Vulfpeck bass player, Joe Dart.

Discography

With The 5th Dimension
  • Living Together, Growing Together
With Air Supply
  • The Christmas Album
With Chet Atkins
  • Chet Atkins in Hollywood
With Tony Bennett
  • Long Ago and Far Away
With The Beach Boys
  • Summer Days
With June Christy
  • This Time of Year
With Rosemary Clooney
With Nat King Cole
  • Love Is the Thing
  • To Whom It May Concern
  • Wild Is Love
  • The Magic Of Christmas
  • The Touch of Your Lips
  • Nat King Cole Sings/George Shearing Plays
  • Where Did Everyone Go?
  • Those Lazy-Hazy-Crazy Days of Summer
  • I Don't Want to Be Hurt Anymore
  • Let's Face the Music!
With Natalie Cole
  • Unforgettable... with Love
With Sam Cooke
  • Mr. Soul
  • Ain't That Good News
With Bobby Darin
With Neil Diamond
  • Tap Root Manuscript
  • Jonathan Livingston Seagull
  • Serenade
With Lamont Dozier
  • Out Here on My Own
With Don Ellis
  • Haiku
With The Emotions
  • Rejoice
With Ella Fitzgerald
With Judy Garland
  • The Letter
With Quincy Jones
  • Sounds...and Stuff Like That!!
With Stan Kenton
  • Lush Interlude
  • The Kenton Touch
With Peggy Lee
  • Make It with You
With Dean Martin
  • A Winter Romance
  • Dino: Italian Love Songs
With Johnny Mathis and Deniece Williams
  • That's What Friends Are For
With Michael Nesmith
  • The Wichita Train Whistle Sings
With Harry Nilsson
With Van Dyke Parks
  • Discover America
  • Tokyo Rose
With Lalo Schifrin
  • Enter the Dragon
With Bola Sete
  • Goin' to Rio
With Bud Shank
  • Windmills of Your Mind
With Frank Sinatra
With Mel Tormé
With Tom Waits
  • Small Change
With Mason Williams
  • '' The Mason Williams Phonograph Record''