Risdon Sebastian Brittan

When Riz was 5 years old, the family moved to the town of Mohawk in central New York state where he spent his childhood. Riz’s dad was an art teacher who also played the piano and the organ, and his mother stayed at home taking care of the household.

Growing up, Riz’s main interests were music and baseball. In his adult years, he also loved playing bridge.

When Riz was young, he started feeding a crow in the backyard, and the crow came regularly to visit, becoming his “pet” which he named Jerry.

Riz decided to learn to play the trumpet when he was 5 years old. This may have been in part because his Uncle Bill, his Dad’s brother, played the trumpet.

Education and the Air Force

After graduating from Mohawk High School in 1942, Riz’s family moved to Ithaca, New York, where he attended Ithaca College. While in college, Riz played trumpet with the college band. One memorable performance in 1949 was when he played trumpet with the college band at an outdoor amphitheater. The band did an entire concert which was broadcast live over the radio. Two of the songs were actually recorded, both of which featured Riz playing solo: “Carnival of Venice” and “The Man I Love.” The songs were recorded on new sound equipment on loan from Cornell University close by, which laid out the cables to the outdoor concert. Riz’s roommate in college was Jim Chapin, Harry Chapin’s father.

While attending college, Riz was drafted into the Air Force to serve during World War II. Stationed in Harlingen, Texas, he played with the Air Force band and was also trained as a tail-gunner. He was sent to Hawaii on his way overseas, but with the war winding down and his mother dying, he was sent home.

After returning from the war, Riz returned to Ithaca College to finish his Bachelor’s degree in Music. This might be why one of his favorite sayings to his family was, “I didn’t go to 7 years of college for nothin’!” He later studied for his Master’s Degree and did his thesis on “The Evolution of the Tonight Show Band.” He took his son David with him when he interviewed Doc Severinsen and the other members of the band. Riz’s interest in the Tonight Show band began when he had worked with Tommy Newsom during a steady gig at the Taft Hotel, who would later become a member of the Tonight Show band, and who often took over as director for Doc Severinsen.

Lorraine

It was in 1947, while attending college, that Riz met Lorraine Hill at an Italian restaurant called “Joe’s” where she was waitressing. They dated for about a year and then were married in Ithaca, New York, on June 6, 1948.

Lorraine’s mom, Eva, and Lorraine’s younger sister, Jaye, would occasionally come live with the Brittans for long periods. When Jaye was 16, Riz asked her to sing with his band.

Bands

After college and in the early years of his marriage, Riz became a full-time professional trumpet player, playing and touring with a number of Big Bands including Tommy Dorsey, Billy Bishop, Johnny Long, Tony Pastor, Skitch Henderson and Vincent Lopez. In those early days, Lorraine joined him on the road, traveling in a 27-foot trailer.

Riz’s gigs often had him in the presence of numerous celebrities, including Bob Hope, Abbott and Costello, Red Skelton, Dick Shawn, Sandy Becker, Arte Johnson and Bea Arthur. Several major highlights were playing at a campaign stop for soon-to-be-President Jimmy Carter in Colorado, and in a band for a political candidate running for the Presidency: John F Kennedy.

Children

Riz and Lorraine had their first child, Rhonda, in 1951, and then David in 1955. After Rhonda was born, Riz decided to leave the road playing with Big Bands, and the family settled down on Long Island. They lived in several cities there, including Levittown, J.P. Morgan’s Island (Glen Cove), and then Garden City.

After they moved to Garden City, and eight years after David was born, Lorraine wanted to have two more children. Terry was born in 1963, but the doctors advised against her having any more children.

Career

Riz worked full time as the band teacher at Washington Street Elementary School in Franklin Square, NY, from 1952 to 1982. He also played trumpet frequently in New York City, playing high society events at the Waldorf-Astoria (once with Frank Sinatra), the Americana Hotel, and every Saturday night at the Taft Hotel with Big Band leader, Vincent Lopez. He also occasionally played Broadway shows, including subbing for two performances of the original West Side Story, and also subbing at Radio City Music Hall.

On top of teaching band and working gigs at night, Riz also gave private lessons for trumpet and other brass instruments. One of his band students, Richie Cannata, went on to play saxophone with Billy Joel’s band as well as the Beach Boys. A trombone student, John Mosca, performed with Dizzy Gillespie, Stan Getz, and more, and went on to play with the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra (formerly Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Orchestra) for more than 40 years, currently serving as its director. Another trombone student, Gary Capetandes went on to play trombone regularly for Broadway shows, including Showboat, The Music Man and The Lion King, and he remained in constant touch with Riz over the years.

Yet another student Riz had was a voice student, Jeannie. With his connections, he helped her get started in her singing career with numerous dance bands, and she even took the last name Brittan as her stage name. She went on to record a vocal album and did TV commercials, and she kept in touch with Riz and the family throughout his life, sending photos of her family, calling Riz every couple months, and even bringing her family to visit Riz in San Diego on several occasions.

With Riz’s full schedule, Lorraine stayed home with the three children, but she was also busy as Riz’s “personal secretary,” answering phone calls, talking with music contractors, and helping to keep his calendar updated.

The family took many vacations together when Riz had summers off from teaching school. Memorable trips included Mount Rushmore, San Francisco (including meeting famed “Peanuts” cartoonist Charles Schulz), and visiting cousins in Mayfield in upstate New York. The family also began spending many summers in San Diego beginning in 1967.

Retirement

In 1982, Riz retired from teaching school and the Brittans moved to San Diego, where Riz continued to play numerous gigs in the San Diego and Los Angeles areas, including a regular dance band on Friday nights, several Big Bands, and Dixieland at the San Diego Zoo and the San Diego County fair. He was often able to play in various bands together with his son, David, who also played trumpet.

Riz finally retired from trumpet playing at the young age of 93. He was a lifelong member of the Musician’s Union Local 325.

Cubs Fan

In 1937, when Riz was 8 years old, his cousin took him to a baseball game and he immediately fell in love with the team. The team was the Chicago Cubs and he became a lifelong fan. After 79 years of being a dedicated fan, he was finally able to see his beloved Cubs win the world series in 2016 as his family watched with him. Riz was frequently seen wearing his Cubs baseball cap.

Riz' Personality

Riz was a kind and gentle soul and seldom got angry. Whenever Lorraine asked him to discipline the children after he got home from work, he pretended to spank them or just spanked them gently. David remembers pretending to cry so that his dad would feel he was being effective.

Riz always cared for animals, including wild animals, and was even known to build a protective barrier around a bird’s nest outside the house in the eaves to protect them from predators. Riz and Lorraine owned several Lhasa Apsos throughout their marriage, who became additional “children” to them.

Being raised by British parents, Riz had a very dry but sharp sense of humor, which was balanced perfectly with Lorraine’s more fun and outgoing sense of humor.

Riz was quick to make friends and frequently kept in touch with fellow musicians over the years as well as many students from his early days of teaching elementary school. Paul Tuthill, who took over Riz’s position at Washington Street School kept in touch with him frequently.

Family Tree

As Riz’s health declined in his 90s, his son Terry moved in with him to help take care of him, while his son David took care of him on weekend afternoons. When Riz needed more advanced care, he moved to a residential care facility on September 4, 2021, just minutes from his son’s houses, and they both visited him almost every day. Three months later, Riz passed away, a life well and fully lived.

Riz is preceded in death by his parents and his wife of 66 years, Lorraine.

Riz is survived by his children Rhonda Brittan (Jay Ellerbroek), David (Katie) Brittan, and Terry (Linda) Brittan; his granddaughters, Danielle (Blaire, formerly Caylan) Kolste and Danae Brittan; and his great-grandchildren (from Danielle) Maverick Kolste, Marshall Kolste, and Callahan Kolste.

An informal get-together of close family members celebrating Riz’s life was held on Sunday,

December 12, 2021, at his residence. Riz’s ashes will be interred at the Miramar National Cemetery,

San Diego, California, next to his wife Lorraine’s ashes.