# Red Balaban

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{{Short description|American jazz musician (1929–2013)}}
{{Use American English|date=December 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2025}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = 
| image              = 
| caption            = 
| birth_name         = Leonard Balaban
| birth_date         = December 22, 1929
| birth_place        = 
| death_date         = {{death date and age|2013|12|29|1929|12|22}}
| death_place        = 
| death_cause        = 
| education          = 
| spouse             = Maxine "Micki" Israel
| known_for          = 
| occupation         = 
| children           = Michael Balaban<br> Steven Balaban<br> Rachel Balaban
| parents            = Tillie Urkov Balaban<br> [Barney Balaban](/source/Barney_Balaban)
| family             = [Judy Balaban](/source/Judy_Balaban) (sister)<br> [Burt Balaban](/source/Burt_Balaban) (brother)<br> [Bob Balaban](/source/Bob_Balaban) (cousin)<br> [A. J. Balaban](/source/A._J._Balaban) (uncle)<br> [Elmer Balaban](/source/Elmer_Balaban) (uncle)
}}

'''Leonard "Red" Balaban''' (December 22, 1929 – December 29, 2013) was an American [jazz](/source/jazz) [tubist](/source/tuba) and [sousaphonist](/source/sousaphone). He also played banjo, stand-up bass, slide trombone, ukulele and rhythm guitar.

Balaban resided as an adult in the [Florida](/source/Florida) panhandle, where he worked as a farmer and played in regional ensembles from the 1950s. He held a regular gig from 1966 at the [Dixieland jazz](/source/Dixieland_jazz) club Your Father's Mustache in [New York City](/source/New_York_City). He is the son of [Barney Balaban](/source/Barney_Balaban), former president of [Paramount Pictures](/source/Paramount_Pictures). His sister is actress and author [Judy Balaban](/source/Judy_Balaban) and his brother is film producer and director [Burt Balaban](/source/Burt_Balaban). He is of [Jewish](/source/Jewish) descent.

He worked extensively as a sideman, for musicians such as [Wild Bill Davison](/source/Wild_Bill_Davison), [Eddie Condon](/source/Eddie_Condon), [Gene Krupa](/source/Gene_Krupa), [Dick Wellstood](/source/Dick_Wellstood), and [Kenny Davern](/source/Kenny_Davern). Balaban opened the third incarnation of [Eddie Condon's Jazz club](/source/Eddie_Condon's) on W. 54th Street after arranging permission for using Eddie's name from Condon's widow. From 1975, he co-led the house band with [Ed Polcer](/source/Ed_Polcer), with whom he later shared ownership of the club. Other noted musicians in this outfit included [Vic Dickenson](/source/Vic_Dickenson), [Warren Vache](/source/Warren_Vach%C3%A9_Jr.), and [Connie Kay](/source/Connie_Kay). The club closed in the mid-1980s.

Balaban died at the age of 84 on December 29, 2013, after a brief illness.  He was living with his wife of 62 years, Maxine (known as Micki), at their lakefront home in [West Haven, Connecticut](/source/West_Haven%2C_Connecticut).

==References==
*[Eugene Chadbourne](/source/Eugene_Chadbourne), [{{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p295057/biography|pure_url=yes}} Red Balaban] at [Allmusic](/source/Allmusic)

==External links==
*[http://www.balabanandkatzfoundation.com Official Balaban and Katz website]
*[http://www.red-balaban.com Official Red Balaban website]
*[http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/nhregister/obituary.aspx?pid=168866185 "Leonard Balaban" (obituary)], ''New Haven Register'', January 3, 2014

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Balaban, Red}}
Category:1929 births
Category:2013 deaths
Category:20th-century American Jews
Category:21st-century American Jews
Category:American people of Russian-Jewish descent
Category:American jazz tubists
Category:American male jazz musicians
Red
Category:Place of birth missing
Category:Place of death missing

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Red Balaban](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Balaban) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Balaban?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.