author
A little-known but important figure in early recorded Yiddish music, remembered for helping bring klezmer and Yiddish song accompaniment into the American recording era.
by I. J. Hochman's Yiddisher Orchester
Israel J. Hochman is known as an early Yiddish accompanist and bandleader in the American recording scene. Available sources describe him as one of the earliest musicians to accompany Yiddish songs on records, and also note his work in klezmer recordings.
His recording activity appears to reach back to the 1910s. One reliable music-history source says he surfaced in 1916 with a Victor test recording, and that another test followed in 1918, when he directed the orchestra of fiddler Max Leibowitz.
Because easily confirmed biographical details about his life are scarce, he is best remembered through the surviving record history connected with his name rather than through a fully documented personal biography.