Biography.guide
Home › People › Jazz musician › Ike Isaacs
Portrait of Ike Isaacs

Ike Isaacs

1919 – 1996

Jazz guitarist

Don't just read it — keep itBiographies to ownE-book · Audio · Video From $7 →

About Ike Isaacs

Lived 1919 – 1996 (aged 76). Ike Isaacs was a British and American jazz musician, jazz guitarist, musician and guitarist.

Ike Isaacs (December 1, 1919, Rangoon, Burma – January 11, 1996, Sydney, Australia) was a Burmese-English jazz guitarist, best known for his work with violinist Stéphane Grappelli.

Isaacs was self-taught on guitar. In Burma he grew up with fellow guitarist Cedric West. He started playing professionally in college while pursuing a degree in chemistry. In 1946 he moved to England, where he became a member of the BBC Show Band. During the 1960s and 1970s, he was a member of the Hot Club of London, led by guitarist Diz Disley, which often collaborated with Stéphane Grappelli.

He died of cancer in January 1996 at the age of 76.

Discography As sideman With Stéphane Grappelli Violinspiration (1975) Compact Jazz: Jean-Luc Ponty & Stephane Grappelli (1990) Shades of Django (1990) Menuhin & Grappelli Play Gershwin, Berlin, Kern, Porter, Rodgers & Hart and Others (1990)

With others Ted Heath, Our Kind of Jazz (1958) Barney Kessel, Hair Is Beautiful (1968) Barry Gray, Thunderbirds 2 (2004) Jake Thackray, Jake in a Box: The EMI Recordings 1967–1976 (2006) Martin Taylor, Sketches: A Tribute to Art Tatum (2006) Stan Tracey, Three Classic Albums Plus: Showcase/Little Klunk/Jazz Inc. (2011)

Biography shop

Don’t just read it —
keep it.

Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.

  • E-book
  • Audio
  • Video
Browse the shop — from $7

Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free

Important facts

People in Ike Isaacs's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Ike Isaacs's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Ike Isaacs?

jazz guitarist (1919–1996)

When was Ike Isaacs born?

Ike Isaacs was born on 1 December 1919 in Yangon.

When did Ike Isaacs die?

Ike Isaacs died on 11 January 1996 in Sydney.

What was Ike Isaacs's occupation?

Ike Isaacs was a jazz musician, jazz guitarist, musician and guitarist.

What nationality was Ike Isaacs?

Ike Isaacs was British and American.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Ike Isaacs

· Wikidata: Q1658098

· DBpedia: Ike Isaacs (guitarist)

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Ike Isaacs. https://biography.guide/ike-isaacs-jazz-musician/

MLA: "Ike Isaacs." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/ike-isaacs-jazz-musician/.

Chicago: "Ike Isaacs." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/ike-isaacs-jazz-musician/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Page generated 2026-09-27 05:05 UTC