"Jerry Brody was one of my early mentors in the music business," Kahn wrote in a recent tribute. "Having him up there on the bandstand with me was always a reassurance that our performance would be full of swinging music and lots of fun. It didn't matter where we played. If Jerry was blowing his tenor sax with my band, that huge booming sound of his could be heard a mile away."
During his more than 35-year career with the Department of the Army in Philadelphia and Fort Monmouth, N.J., Mr. Brody did the music circuit on evenings and weekends.
After retiring in 1991, he performed as a professional musician until five years ago, his son Richard said.
In 2004, The Inquirer wrote about Mr. Brody and members of the Big Band Express, a group of 16 veteran musicians who played contemporary jazz, including arrangements by Count Basie and Stan Kenton.
"These aren't just a bunch of old guys who decided to go to the attic and dust off that high school trombone for one more try at 'When the Saints Go Marching In,' " The Inquirer reported. "They are musicians. They have performed in various venues from Atlantic City and New York to Las Vegas through the years."
"We've all been through the mill. We just love to play," Mr. Brody told The Inquirer.
The weekly rehearsals in Culture Hall in Medford are "the focal point of my life: I can't wait for Tuesday mornings," he said.
Mr. Brody grew up in North Philadelphia, where his father owned a small grocery store. He and his twin brother, Allan, a drummer, began performing in bands as teenagers. After graduating from Benjamin Franklin High School in 1944, Mr. Brody joined the Navy.
During World War II, he served as a medical specialist in the Pacific and then in Occupied Japan.
After his discharge, he earned a bachelor's degree from Temple University.
In addition to his son, Mr. Brody is survived by his wife of 54 years, Norma Abrams Brody; another son, Robert; and two grandchildren.
Services are private.
Donations may be made to the Alzheimer's Foundation of America, 322 Eighth Ave., Seventh Floor, New York, N.Y. 10001 or at http://act.alz.org/goto/Jerry.Brody.
Contact staff writer Sally A. Downey at 215-854-2913 or sdowney@phillynews.com.
