Lithuanian violinist. One of the founders of Lithuanian popular and jazz music.
Born in the family of a Jewish businessman. From 1920 he studied at the Juozas Naujalis Music School in Kaunas with violinist Isaac Wildman-Zaidman. From 1922 he studied at the Berlin Conservatory (under Willy Hess). In Vienna, he attended the school of the renowned classical music interpreter, violin virtuoso
B. Huberman (according to Pomeranz's daughter, violinist Danutė Pomerancaitė-Mazurkevich, Huberman was impressed by the talent of the young Daniel, did not charge for the lessons, and intended to adopt him). In Berlin, Pomerantz played in cafés and in the salon orchestra of the Russian emigrant Dajos Béla (real name Leon Golzman), and later in one of Europe's most popular entertainment music groups, the orchestra of Marek Weber, which performed extensively in the capitals of Europe.
In 1933, Pomerantz returned to Lithuania. He had received an excellent academic musical education, had contacts with prominent Western European performers and orchestra leaders in Berlin and Vienna, and, as a skilful manager, he successfully applied his professional skills in Lithuania's temporary capital. In Kaunas, he formed an ensemble of 6-7 multi-instrumentalists, played in Max Konrad's,
Monika's, and other cafés, and soon began to compete with the famous
M. Hofmekler orchestra, the
Hofmeklerband. In the cafés, Pomerantz loved to play violin solos, and he played almost all the popular classics, surprising the audience by his virtuoso passages and improvisations. He was particularly skilful in his interpretation of Spanish and Gypsy melodies. He was accompanied by soloists
R. Marijošius,
J. Indra,
A. Dvarionas.
During the Nazi occupation, Pomerantz was imprisoned in the Kaunas ghetto, Dachau concentration camp. In the Kaunas ghetto, together with M. Hofmekler, he organised an orchestra of 40 musicians for the ghetto prisoners, which organised symphonic music programmes.
After the war, having escaped the tragic fate of many Jews, Pomerantz played in the orchestra of the Kaunas Musical Theatre, in the café "Tulpė", and then in Vilnius - in the orchestra of the Lithuanian Radio Committee and the State Symphonic Orchestra. In 1974 he emigrated to Canada.
