Dave Apollon

Dave Apollon, born Denis Apollonov on February 23, 1898, in Kiev — then part of Russia — was an American mandolin player who became one of the most innovative and influential mandolinists of the twentieth century. He was raised in a Jewish family and initially studied the violin before abandoning it in favor of an old bowl-back mandolin his father kept in the house. By the age of 14, he had already formed an ensemble and was performing professionally at a local movie theatre.

During World War I, Apollon served in the Russian Revolution, bringing his mandolin with him throughout his service. He subsequently traveled to the Philippines, where he continued performing as a mandolin player and dancer, and later to Japan, from which he obtained a visa to the United States. He arrived in New York City in 1919 and quickly secured work in vaudeville, where his technical virtuosity made an immediate impression on audiences.

Apollon's recordings spanned a wide range of styles, including Gypsy music and various forms of European folk music. Among his more notable recordings and performances were Two Guitars, Hora Staccato by Grigoraș Dinicu, and Zigeunerweisen — also known as Gypsy Airs — by Pablo de Sarasate. He is also recognized as one of the first jazz mandolinists, with recordings such as Who and St. Louis Blues standing among his most memorable work in that genre. In 1929 he made the first of his musical short films, a format he would return to throughout much of his career.

Apollon appeared on Broadway in 1940 in Boys and Girls Together, and in 1941 was a member of the show's touring company. In 1946 he met and performed alongside Django Reinhardt during the guitarist's New York tour with Duke Ellington. In early 1950, Apollon released his recording of Third Man Theme on the National label, with The Cafe Mozart Waltz on the flip side. Billboard described the single as sensational, new, and different. Apollon died on May 30, 1972, following a performing career that spanned more than fifty years.