Third Dixie Jubilee

195'1 Chicago, October 6, 1950 NEWS Chicago—Here are just a couple of thr fine hund- that lack); Benny Goodman, clarinet; I-nrry Binyon, t«*nor; Gil made by the band. Second pic is of his 1940 band, which (Moe) have been led by Ben Pollack during his lengthy career. Rodin, alto« Dick Morguu. guitar; Jack Teagarden, trom- didn't ever record. It include» girl vocalist Armide; Graham at the Thr tir»l pic, taken in 1928 »potted the following: the late bon«*: n very slim, youthful Jimmy MePurtiand, trumpet, Stevenson, drums; Bed Dorris, -econd from left in the sax sms n Vic Briedis, pianos Al Beller, violin (to the right of Pol- nnd Ray Bauduc, drums. This is taken from a movie short section, and Carroll Thompson, guitar. ballroom operators decided they than he loafed, and he managed io We find him at Sebastian’s Cotton is anc had to cut the budget and Pollack keep going even during the period club in Culver City, L A. suburb, moved east with that band in the when the depression had put many in 1936, making his third return to On Wheels Third Dixie latter part of 1925. He and his musicians on the dole. Dunng the the coast (he had flopped ir a re fellow musicians expected the bund years of around 1931 to 1935 the turn >late at the Venice ballroom stud to be an immediate sensation. It band had taken on an interesting in 1928), and this time with what Jubilee Set was not. It would be just about 10 aspect in the presence of such mu- probably was the greatest band, Hollywood -The Third Annua! ‘ullack years before a former Pollack side icians as Matty Matlock, Eddie musically, of his career. Dixieland Jubilee will be presented i have man, Benny Goodman, would be Miller, Nappy Lama re, Yank Law- Musicians who were with him at L.A.’s Shrine Auditorium Oct. stand- the first to flash to fame und for <on, Gil Rodm (still with the band at the period, though not all 6, sponsored by impresarios Frank it just tune with a band that was, in from Venice hallroom days), and simultaneously, include Harry Bull .md Gene Norman. White- some respects, an outgrowth of the Ray Bauduc. Pollack was “direct James, Muggsy Spanier, Bruce Sharkey Bonano will bring hia that— early Pollack band- that is, a com ing” by this time and playing Squires, Fredd; Slack, who was hand to the coast from New Or ething mercially successful dance band only in specialities. replaced by J »tan Wrightsman, leans for the event, and the Caatle that also had the essence of an The Crosby Band Dave Matthews, und Opie Cates. Jazz band will again come down authentic jazz beat. from Portland. Still on the “prob-, find in To those who became familiar But by this time Ben’s former Reminiscing between sets at the with dance bands in the late ’30s, rideman, Benny Goodman the kid ability list” were Doc Evans and' Cavern, Ben recalls, a bit wistfully: Muggsy Spanier nnd their respec i their those musician b may recall the Bob he bid brought out from Chicago “We had some good runs, like Crosby band of the period—and for to the Venice ballroom in 1924, was tive crews. the Southmore hol«d in Chicago in good reason. That was the band stealing the show, und, on the Local groups lined up for the 1928, later the Little club in New strength of the biggest money ever event included those headed by Ben York—that’n when Jimmy McPart that “walked out” on Pollack en masse to form, under the leader paid foi his type of hand, was Pollack, Kid Ory, Peto Daily, Red land and Bud Freeman were with ship of Gil Rodin, a cooperative ’ raiding” other bands right and Nichols, and Nappy Lamare. me—and that long run, n year, at left for star :-idemen. A major recording company Has at a the Park Central, part of the time bind fronted by the younger Cros Redon by, who, it had been decided by the Sidemen were coming into their just released recording of the fl-’ doubling as featured band with a nale to last year’s Dixie Jubilee in hieagi stage show. Hello Daddy. Rockwell - O’Keefe agency, stood a own as feature attractions with J better chance of making a name the swing hands of the era on they which all the musicians on the for himself as a band leader than never had before, and muy never show gave out with an en masse a singer. again. One of those grabbed by Chicago—Don't know if this is rendition of Rampart Street Pa “Benny Goodman was back by rade. that time, and Jack Teagarden had In passing, it might be noted Goodman was Pollack'- -tar, Harry supposed lo illustrate a new rec banc replaced Glenn With recordings that it was the era during which James. ord by leader Frankie Carle, or > ball and other outside* work thosi kids band leaders were making the For the next few years Ben whether it's just his way of exer writei were making themselves $250 to headlines, and singers were carried cising after those long hops be» Cab's Canadian Tour d. Mu pushed along with various mu $300 a week 4n 1929! But ns soon by bands to sing a chorus now and sical ventures, even had a try at twe«*n one-niters. After his date as we were out of n job they were then. at the Edgewater Beach hotel Complete Heads West band radio with a band on the Joe Pen broke and hocking ling There are different versions of ner show. He finally bowed out. or hen*, he went to the Palladium, New York —Cab Calioway and vondei Hollywood, where thr band will they owned. Me—it seems I was that incident. The ex-Pollack men so it seemed, in 1943 after build his combo wind up a two-month illack’i be playing until Oct. 9. ita nd. always paying out more to sidemen —who are now ex-Crosby men— ing und managing a band that sup tour of Canada at the end of Sep than 1 was taking in. On one job have always had a simple, straight ported Chico Marx on a theater tember und move out to the wit in tha I lost $258 a week. forward answer: “We ju»t had to tour and in which he uncovered J coast to start a two-week stay at eaail] “As I recall it now, everywhere eat, that’s all, and Ben didn’t have kid drummer and singer named New York—The Mills brothers the Oasis, Los Angeles, on Sept. 300 a the band played it was the talk of a job for us.” Mel Torme. have a featured spot in an all 29 Cab’s current group consists of t wha the town- with musicians—but I Ben’s comment: “I had tc get Negro feature picture, The Fight Jonah Jones, trumpet; Dave Ri dio re was generally going ir the hole be $1,500 a week for the band to Never Ends, which stars Joe Ix>uis. vera, piano; Milton Hinton, baas, cause I wanted to have a great make expenses They went to work Then cam« the years cf relative Toddy Pictures, which is releasing and Panama Francis, drums- band. But foi all of us it sa- pret under Crosby’-- name as a coop obscurity while Pollack went his the film, is also putting out some ty much the same--week- of star erative outfit foi' $600.” (This was few rounds with the 10-mmute shorts »(totting Billy Watch for the < oleman Hawkins vation between jobs, followed by around 1936, when $600 was easily booking business and th«* recording Eckstine and Dizzy Gillespie. »lory in the Oct. 20 issue. periods of high living and pros the equivalent of $1,800 by today’s business. Chances are that Ben, a perity when we were working.” standard’s i natural promoter and aggressive But Pollack worked more often The breakup didn’t floor Pollack. saksman, would have com« out all right sooner or later. But last year he was induced- -without too much effort—to sit in for a turn drummer at the Second Annual L. A.’s Shrine auditorium To use the old expression, he broke it up. And a real cheer went up from a crowd that knew that it had heard a great drummer, a drummer who played from the heart with the one thing inde spensable to any or all of the mu sical form» labeled a- jazz, Dixie, swing, or bop—a really solid beat. Thal big cheer did it. Pollack hustled himself a job at the Bever ly Cavern for hit “Modern Early American Jazz Band,” saying with a snort for the Firehouse Five, Keystone Cops, Curbstone Cops, Straw Hat Strutters, et al, “I’ll show these phonies in funny hats that when the music is right, mu sicians don’t have to make mon keys of themselves!” Pollack and his bondsmen will have completed a full year at the Cavern about the time this ap New York—Don Cherry (center), Decca'« and NBC’s new vocal find, Hollywood—Yup, that's Jane Russell. How could you mis«? She’s pears. It looks like he might be {oined Mitchell Ayre« and Perry Camo for a happy round of golf with Harold Adamson nnd Jimmy McHugh (at the piano), who have proving his point.

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