US jazz violinist (born April 29, 1917 in Hamburg, Germany – died April 2, 1958 in Los Angeles, CA, USA)

The son of a Ukrainian Jewish band leader, Albert Polnariow, Nero emigrated to the United States at age six and grew up in Brooklyn, New York. He studied classical violin and composition with Alexander Hilsburg at the Curtis Institute, graduating in 1937. He then joined the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra under Fritz Reiner.

In World War II, Nero served as musical director of the US Navy Dance Band in Washington D.C. Between 1946-1947, he worked as a featured soloist with the Gene Krupa orchestra, at NBC radio, and with Jan Savitt's orchestra. He also briefly taught at The Juilliard School in New York.

In 1948, Nero relocated to Los Angeles, where he became a sought-after free-lance session musician, recording for Capitol Records with stars such as Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee, Bing Crosby, Doris Day, Rosemary Clooney, and Jo Stafford, in addition to being featured on his own solo album, “Nero Fiddles.”

Nero was married to Kathryne Steele, an operatic soprano also trained at the Curtis Institute, which whom he also appears on a recording for Ace-Hi Hits.

Best known among his compositions are The Hot Canary (1949), which became a major hit for Nero and several others, and the jazz violin concerto “Solo Flight: Concerto For Hot Fiddle” (1940).