Woodwind player (5th July 1929 – 21 September 2002)
Born in Burlington, VT., began his professional career at the age of 17 playing lead alto with the Boyd Raeburn band. He went on to play saxophone with many well-known groups including the Tommy Dorsey and Sauter-Finegan bands. He also played flute with the Longines Symphonette. With the Sauter-Finegan ensemble, he was the saxophone soloist in the recording of Rolf Liebermann’s Concerto for Jazz Band and Symphony Orchestra with the Chicago Symphony.
In 1967, Estrin joined the ABC Staff Orchestra, where he performed for many TV programs including The Dick Cavett Show. He was seen on public television on the Big Band Specials.
Founder and music director of the 92nd Street Y Studio Orchestra from 1976 to 1981, where he programmed the music of Sauter-Finegan. He played solo saxophone with all the major American ballet companies and can be heard as saxophone soloist in the New York Philharmonic recording of Alban Berg’s Der Wien, conducted by Pierre Boulez. He was named Most Valuable Player on flute the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences four times.
Harvey Estrin recorded two concertos written for him, the Concerto for Alto Saxophone and String Orchestra by Harold Farberman and the Churchill Downs Concerto by Irwin Bazelon, which he performed as a soloist with the New York Philharmonic, playing flute, piccolo, clarinet and alto saxophone. Additionally, Meyer Kupferman wrote a jazz piece for him, the Jazz Infinities Trio, which required him to improvise.