Albert John Weidt: The Forgotten Maestro of Weimar Cabaret

German composer, arranger, and bandleader renowned for his innovative jazz and cabaret music during the Weimar Republic, primarily leading the Weintraubs Syncopators.Albert John Weidt rose to prominence in Berlin's vibrant 1920s music scene as the founder and musical director of the influential ensemble Weintraubs Syncopators. Known for their sophisticated arrangements blending jazz, classical elements, and popular dance music, the band achieved international success through tours and recordings. As a Jewish musician, his career was brutally cut short by the Nazi regime. Arrested by the Gestapo in 1940, Weidt was murdered at the Bernburg Euthanasia Centre in 1942.
  • Weidt's band, originally named 'Syncopators', was renamed 'Weintraubs Syncopators' around 1927, reportedly after a sponsor named Max Weintraub. The name stuck despite the sponsor's brief involvement.
  • The Weintraubs Syncopators gained significant fame, touring extensively across Europe and even appearing in Josef von Sternberg's iconic film 'The Blue Angel' (1930), starring Marlene Dietrich.
  • Facing persecution under the Nazis due to his Jewish heritage and the band's association with 'degenerate' jazz music, Weidt was forced to disband the original Weintraubs Syncopators in 1935. Some non-Jewish members continued touring internationally under the name without him.
  • Weidt attempted to continue his musical career in Nazi Germany under a pseudonym but was eventually arrested by the Gestapo in Berlin on October 4, 1940.
  • After imprisonment in the Sachsenhausen concentration camp, Albert John Weidt was transferred to the Bernburg Euthanasia Centre. He was murdered there in a gas chamber on February 20, 1942, during the Nazis' 'Aktion 14f13', which targeted ill and disabled concentration camp prisoners, including many Jews and political prisoners.