Martin Roman

Who was Martin Roman?

Martin Roman was a German jazz pianist.

At the time of the Reichstagsbrand in February 1933, Martin was stopped by SS men at the entrance to the huge Vaterland emporium in Berlin, where his band, the Marek Weber Band, was employed. He left for Holland. In January 1944 Roman was transported to Terezín. In summer 1944 he was forced to participate in a propaganda film in Terezinstadt which the commandant Rahm had coerced the actor Kurt Gerron to direct. Roman appeared leading his Ghetto Swingers. When the filming was over Roman and Gerron were sent to Auschwitz, where Gerron perished. Like jazz drummer and guitarist Coco Schumann, Roman survived. Gerron and clarinetist Fritz Weiss of the Jazz-Quintet-Weiss did not.

His "Wir reiten auf hölzernen Pferden" was recorded on Terezín - Theresienstadt.