Irv Kluger
Illustration — Portrait of Boyd Raeburn, Ginnie Powell, vocalist Johnson, Irv Kluger, Pete Candoli, Wes Hensel, Gordon Boswell, Hy Mandell, Randy Bellerjeau, Abe Markowitz, and Buddy De Franco, Nola's, New York Irv Kluger (July 9, 1921 – February 28, 2006) was an American jazz drummer.
Irv Kluger
- Born
- 1921 · New York City.
- Died
- 2006
- Nationality
- United States
- Occupation
- musician
- Fields
- jazz
In this article
Career
He was born in New York, United States. Kluger played violin early in life before settling on drums; his first professional gigs came at age 15. He played with Georgie Auld in 1942-43, then with Bob Chester, Freddie Slack, Dizzy Gillespie (1945), Boyd Raeburn (1945–47), Bobby Byrne and Herbie Fields (1947). Following this he played with Stan Kenton (1947–48), Artie Shaw (1949–50), then for a short time in 1950 with Tex Beneke.
He played less jazz after 1950, working in the pit orchestras of Broadway shows such as Guys and Dolls (1950–53). He returned to play with Artie Shaw again in 1953–54 as a member of the Gramercy Five. In the middle of the 1950s he moved to California and played at the Moulin Rouge in Hollywood as the house drummer. He played with Dave Pell in 1956, and with Benny Goodman and Woody Herman later in life, doing much freelance work through the 1960s and 1970s. As a studio musician he played with Johnny Cash. Kluger never led his own recording session.
As sideman
• Georgie Auld, Handicap (Musicraft, 1990)
• Milt Bernhart, Modern Brass (RCA Victor, 1955)
• Stan Kenton, The Kenton Era (Capitol, 1955)
• Dave Pell, Love Story (Atlantic, 1956)
• Dave Pell, Campus Hop Jazz Goes Dancing (RCA Victor, 1958)
• Boyd Raeburn, On the Air Vol. 2 (Hep, 1974)
• Boyd Raeburn, Boyd Meets Stravinski (Savoy, 1955)
• Artie Shaw, 1949 Previously Unreleased (MusicMasters, 1990)
• Pete Rugolo, The Music from Richard Diamond (EmArcy, 1959)
• Lennie Tristano & Buddy DeFranco, Crosscurrents (Capitol, 1972)
Licensing
Text attribution
Part of the biographical narrative on this page reuses licensed material. Its origin, revision and licence are recorded here.
The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article Irv Kluger, revision 1282138605 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record.
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Colin Larkin. The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Guinness Publishing. 1391/2. 1992. 0-85112-939-0.
- 2.Musicians Who Died in 2006. OnThisDay.com.
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
reference work
Partially resolvedreference work
Partially resolved
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 27 August 2026.
Elsewhere in Music memorabilia
41,276 published records in this field, each with its sources named.
- Iron Fist RecordsOrganisation
- Irregular RecordsOrganisation
- Irritable Hedgehog MusicOrganisation
- Irson KudikovaPerson
- Irvine ArdittiPerson
- Irving AshbyPerson
- Irving BerlinPerson
- Irving BiboPerson
Best supported in this field
For owners
Own a work by Irv Kluger?
A specialist will read what you send and tell you what the house can establish, what it cannot, and whether the object is suited to sale. There is no charge and no obligation. The object stays with you throughout; nothing is shipped to us unless it is arranged in writing beforehand.