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James Kok

1902 – 1976

Romanian musician

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About James Kok

Lived 1902 – 1976 (aged 74). James Kok was an Austrian musician and jazz musician.

Arthur James Kok (January 24, 1902, Czernowitz - October 18, 1976, Berlin) was a Romanian bandleader, violinist, and arranger. He led dance bands that played light music and jazz.

Kok learned to play music from his father, a violinist. He also could play saxophone, clarinet, and piano. Later in life, he alleged that he had been raised in the US, but he was born in what is now Ukraine. At the time, the area was in Austria-Hungary's Duchy of Bukovina, passing to the Kingdom of Romania for the interwar period. He attended the Prague Conservatory and then put a band together in Berlin, which remained active through 1933, toured throughout germanophone Europe, and recorded for Deutsche Grammophon. He left Germany under duress in 1935 and led a new ensemble in Romania, which toured Switzerland in 1938 and Holland in 1939, shortly before the outbreak of war. In 1939 he relocated to Switzerland, where he lived until the late 1950s; he then lived in the United States for much of the 1960s. In 1969 he moved back to Berlin, where he would live out the rest of his life.

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Important facts

Birth century
Nationality
Also known as
Arthur James Kok

People in James Kok's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped James Kok's

Frequently asked questions

Who was James Kok?

Romanian musician (1902–1976)

When was James Kok born?

James Kok was born on 26 January 1902 in Chernivtsi.

When did James Kok die?

James Kok died on 18 October 1976 in Berlin.

What was James Kok's occupation?

James Kok was a musician and jazz musician.

What nationality was James Kok?

James Kok was Austrian.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: James Kok

· Wikidata: Q1680674

· DBpedia: James Kok

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). James Kok. https://biography.guide/james-kok/

MLA: "James Kok." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/james-kok/.

Chicago: "James Kok." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/james-kok/.

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