NEWS Chicago, March 9, 1951

“a 100 percent musician” may have its di-advantage», in Steinke, johnny MeDomi Id, Harvey Bushwuy, and Art a business way, were «orry tu sec Teagarden give up hi» Lyons. Tea ia trundling that tricycle down front. TYtird clarinetist Peanut« Hucko. trumpeter Max own bund because uf financial diffirultie» «everal year» photo, lakt it in San Francisco, «hows Jack with the Arm­ Kaminsky, bassist Jack l^sbcrg. pianist Ralph Sutton, and ago. The aerond shot in the strip «hows Jack and some of strong All-Stars. louia is, of courte, in thr center, and Jack Teagarden. 12th in the Beat'* -eriew of Bouquets to hi» bandsmen snapped in Detroit, which waa the home Barney Bigard at the right. Teagarden has been with the the Living. Jack, whose friends acknowledge that being of several of the men above. From left to right arc Mickev All-Slam since its formation in 1947. Teagarden Continues To Progress As Jazzman By GEORGE HOEFER nice that polished -ff Tea s style. of 1922, and Jack spent a short Miller's chair. Chicago—one, whether he be musician or listener, can Ono of his early gigs in the big time in Kansas City with Willard Mister T was hanging, but good, rightfully claim to understand and appreciate jazz unless he town »as with Billy L Stig’s pick­ Robison’s orchestra and didn’t have eyes to walk to up band at Roseland. Opposite the door, much less to go to Atlan­ also knows and likes Jack Teagarden, ill factors that go into them was playing the powerful To New York tic City. gone into the physical being Fktcher Henderson band M '27, Jack went to New York in the ■Tack told his visitoi to get lost, and spirit of Mister T. with the late Jimmy Harrison on late summer of 1927, and the ses­ but is Pollack walked out the door he blows hi. horn and -mg* and he began to apply the blues slip horn. The two trombonists sions at the Marie Antoniette ho­ he said “Call Pollack at the Park «unp hi« emotional frustration* phrases to his trombone playing. amazed each other as they realized tel at Broadway & 66th must have Central if you change your mind,” and ahamionmi nt to living, and his Jazz influences that affected the the similarity in their styles. At been something to hear. Jack lived and Jackson came to with a jolt progressive musical ambitions are early Teagarden include Peck this point Jack had a te ndency to there, and all the musicians in when he realized what band was true exemplifications of thr music Kelly, the fabulous Texas pianist, assimilate Harrison’s own would drop around. Among involved. we tall jau. when Jack played with his band technique them was Gil Rodin of the Ben Teagarden’s trombone style de­ in Houston Galveston during Tea had always used a vibrato Pollack band, who says, “Teagar­ fies classification as tailgate, 1921-22. with plaintive inflections, a la den’s playing that first time I The Pollack band was one of the sweet, or any other mode of play­ While still with Peck’s Bad Armstrong. He began to use the heard him was a musical experi­ best jazz bands of dance band size Boys, Jack made a trip to New of all time, and Teagarden was ing except “Teagarden style.” His instrument as a major jazz voice ence I’ll never forget.” comparatively happy for five musical training began at 5 years Orkans to find a clarinet player and more in a solo role after hear­ Jack kept going at nest by job­ for the band. He heard young bing and making records. His first years At fit at he thought the boys piano, under the ing Harrison. On slow tempo num didn’t like him because they »at tutelage of his mother. His father Louis Armstrong blowing cornet bet's and the blues he molds and wax date was with the fabulous from the uppei deck of a Roger Wolf«- Kahn orchestra, still and silent while he took a blew trumpet and baritone horn, colors the melodic line with rough choru«. He was judging wrong, but with so manj clinkers that boat as it docked off Canal street and sweet contrasts similar to when Jack replaced Miff Mole, The two young musicians shook who was sick. He also recorded and it took a little time to get him two months after 7-year-oid Jack I ouis, but un fast perf 'finances straightened out, especially when* got his Christmas trombone he re­ hands, and Teagarden felt he creates a melodic style all his with Willard Robisor., Saw Lanin, drive to play alongside the and madi a mess of sides for Red Benny Goodman was concerned fused tc play duets with the old Benny being a quiet kind of fel­ man, but instead ran into the next young New Orleans trumpeter The latter style is made up of Nichols. The first Teagarden local that wasn’t satisfied until 1947 was a result of Scrappy Lambert’^ low and a great instrumentalist room coveriiig his ears with his technically agile passages full if kind of perturbed Jack, and he hands and shouting, “first valve, Next came the early Louis Hot lip slurs or short trills with quick being sick on a Nichols date when fives — Muskrat Ramble, C omet After You’ve Gone was cut. Be­ was sure the clarinetist was silent­ first valve!” alternations of successive tones. ly making fun uf him until they Chop Suey, und Oriental Strut— An unusual trick effect familiar tween jobs Teagarden spent a lot that he carried in his trombone of time in Harlem listening to got to know each other. After to Teagarden listeners is his many of the oldei Pollack mem Jack has perfect pitch, and case to play whenever his eye “water-glass and half trombone” Bessie Smith and jamming with when Le joined the high school or­ spied a windup job He and Wingy Louis and others bers quit, the band style began routine used frequently when jam­ to be built around Teagarden, und chestra., even before he was old Manone revered Oriental to sucn ming on the blues. He takes his Around March, 1928, when the enough to attend high school an extent they took it out on the Pollack band had closed the Little Jack brought most of the New horn apart and uses an ordinary Orleans boys into the organization classes he discovered his horn was Texas desert and buried it. Wingy water glass as a mute on the un­ Club, they got a short engagement heard it would become petrified at the Million Dollar Pier in At­ like Ray Bauduc, Eddie Miller, pitched too high, and he had to attached end of the mouth piece Matlock, etc The hand opened the practically start over. The only and forever preserved. half of his horn. A weird tone is lantic City, but trombonist Glenn formal teacher he ever had gave Jack’s style was developing all Miller refused to leave town. It Park Central the day after Christ­ attained in this manner. mas, 1928, and rtayed until Janu up after three months saying, “I through these years of constant Vocally Jack performs with a was at this point that the fre­ can’t teach that lad anything ” playing with wild southwest barn quently-published interview be ary, 1930, when they transferred sound and phrasing identical io to the Silver Slipper. There were no models for yeung storming bands, so that when he the way he plays trombone. He iween Pollack and Tea took place arrived in New York in 1927 he in a cheap hotel roon. Gil and the The disintegration of thi Pol­ Jack tx pattern his playing after. has a rich, deep baritone voice lack group gradually reached a He used to sit on a fence listening was an accomplished jazz trom­ pleasing to the ear His easy non­ boys had told Ben about Jack, so to the music of the Negroes at bonist with an emphasis on the chalant way of singing is spon­ he looked him up to offer him Holy Roller meetings. Then spir­ blues. taneous and the intonation is al­ ituals and blues fascinated him. to another influ- ways hot. Told Often His biography has been related so frequently in the trade press that we will skim it rapidly here to indicate some of the situations this jazz artist has had to contend with up until he finally reached a goal of playing with Aimstrong. Weldon John Teagarden was born Aug. 20, 1905, and was the eldest child in the family. He was followed by Norma, Charlie, and Clois, all of whom have played with Jack’s band at one time or another. When he - eached 15, Jack was sitting in with local musicians and soon became a member of a four- piece unit that went from road­ house to roadhouse. Next he went to work at San Antonio’s Horn Palace with Terry Shand It lasted a year, until three toughs walked in shooting und blew the job up, along with the boss, who got seven slugs. They were to stay in town as witness, but a flood fortunately inundated the court house and all New York—11»« cool Charlie Parker. bundled up in a coat cum legal papem were lost, so the boys liiMtd. »treteh«d out aa umnittened hind to accept a Down Beal plaque took off Then came Peck’s Bad uuod, N. J. Htundiiu:, in the same order, are CpL Ivicnaru wiirituan. from «taffer Leonard Feather on the latter’« own WOR airshow, The Boys in Houston. Peck Kelly has Willoughby. Ohio; Sgt. Gerald W. Steed, Brush, Colo.: M/Sgt. Ralph Bird was first. of course, in the all«» saxophone section of the 1950 been a Teagarden idol ever since. Smith, Lawton, Okla.: Cpl. Inthony Carrina. New York City, and Be» poll. This group broke up in the fall Pfc.'George W. Witmer. Cleveland. Ohio.