GerE Lrc Ad Libitwm & Jazzletter PO Box 240, Oiai CA93024-0240 Rodin, Dick Morgan, Benny Goodman and Glenn Miller had The Glenn Miller Years II a suite. We all moved into that, practically the whole band, with the exception of Pollack, sleeping on chairs, couches, of the apartment was 1411' The Pollack band was booked to play at the Little Club on the floor, anywhere. The number came up: Room l4l l,with Benny 44th Street in New York, and opened there in March 1928. And that is how that title We hadbeen out ofwork about five weeks Bud Freeman years later recalled that the band's personnel at Goodman's Boys. home and said, 'I've got a recording date that time included himself, Gil Rodin, and Benny Goodman when Benny came can get some money, buy some food, on saxes; Glenn on trombone, Al Harris on trumpet, Jimmy with Brunswick. We McPartland playing jazzcornet, Goodman's brother Harry on eat."' least in that period of the big bands, bass, Vic Briedis on piano, Dick Morgan on guitar, and of (Jazz mtsicians, at have always found charming and course Pollack on drums. had a term, that I for one to staying in someone else's hotel Freeman said, "We were only there a couple of months and inventive: they referred paying for it as "ghosting.") were continually getting in trouble with the boss. We were room without registering or o'We Miller, myself and two or jusl an independent bunch of individuals and were always made that date. Goodman, playing different kinds of numberclike Blue and fluffing the boss off and getting just as fed up with him as he three more, we named Room l4l l. rvith us. It was a pretty swank place and he couldn't see us Jungle Blues and the one just over, we started kidding sitting with customers or anything like that. "After the session was about Out comes the recording manager ' "In a way those were the happiest days of our lives, only around and playing comy. 'That's it! That's what we want, we didn't know it then and maybe we don't even know it from his booth, and he says, ! ' playing as corny as now." just what you're playing there We were Another problem was the star of the show, the singer possible. Tommy Dorsey had come up and Lillian Roth, then only eighteen years old but already on her "As a matter of fact, and he picked up a trombone way to stardom and alcoholism. (The filmI'll Cry Tomorrow was standing listening to us, around too. The manager said, with Susan Heyward is a chronicle of her life.) and started playing, kidding called the number Shirt Tail Stomp. Night after night the Little Club was filled with musicians, 'You gotta dothat.'We the others. It shows the taste of come to hear the band, whlch infuriated Roth, who skirmished It sold more than any of guess, the world over." The record endlessly with Pollack and his players. Whether it was for this people: still the same, I Senter. (I had a copy ofthat or some other reason, Pollack gave his notice and the band's was, ofcourse, an echo ofBoyd young, and could only presumed that engagement came to an end in May. The band was now out of record when I was very since it had Benny work. it was a joke, but I had trouble with that had it.) Jimmy McPartland and Bud Freeman were living at the Goodman's name on it. I wish I still the Detroit Sunday News Mayflower Hotel. "This was 1928, before the Stock Market In a July 7 1974 interview with he and Glenn "spent a lot of crashed," McPartland said, "and there was plenty of money Magazine, Goodman said that youngsters. We went on dates together, we floating around. A lot ofpeople gave a lot ofparties, and often time together as we played touch football we would be invited. You could get all you wanted to drink went to ball games together, when we first came to New but nothing to eat. Just the same, it was better than nothing. together. And we lived together for radio and "We couldn't pay the rent, though, so after a couple of York. We both did freelance work, as sidemen recording together." weeks we moved into the Whitby apartments where Gil records. Glenn and I did some ItrJy 2007 McPartland said, "You know, Glenn contributed a lot to that he started on the blues, still by himself. never heard the Pollack band. He was basically an idea man, and he "We had to agree with Pee Wee. We'd certainly was a dedicated musician. He was a very decent anyone play trombone like that. We were flabbergasted. jam up on 48th Street man, but he wasn2t much of a trombone player.He acted as the They were going to a sessionlater, band's musical director and he was a real taskmaster. I where Jack lived, so we went back and told Gil Rodin and a The other remember he used to tell me to take home my parts and couple of others how wonderful Teagarden was. woodshed them. 'You'll be a better musician for it,' he used guys scoffed, but Rodin didn't." to say. It used to get me sore as hell, but it turned out he was Gil Rodin recalled: jam at the right. "A bunch of musicians invited me to a session the "Glenn was terribly competitive. When he played tennis' Louisiana Apartments. I remember I was living at room next to mine' he'd hit every ball as hard as he could for a winner, but not Manger Hotel . and Pollack had the first time I'd many of them went in. I soon caught on that if I just kept the That night at the Louisiana Apartments was the without the bell ball in play, I could beat him. I did, and he'd get sore as hell' ever heard Jack Teagarden. He was playing just his slide into a glass But that was Glenn. He always tried to be the best." portion of his horn, blowing through I was Glenn was on another Benny Goodman Brunswick date and getting that eerie sound it was the blues and - - too, with McPartland and, Breidis, Morgan, and drummer Bob so knocked out I couldn't see straight. And then he sang, to Glenn Conselman. They made two titles, according to McPartland: and that was just too much! With all due respect was a whole new- Jazz Holiday andWolverine Blues. and he and I were good friends this - I was so excited McPartlandremembered attending a cocktailparty on Park world to me. When I got back to the hotel, him about Avenue with other members of the Pollack band, presumably about what I'd heard that I woke up Pollack to tell including Glenn. Also there were members of the Paul it. He said, yeah, he'd heard the name, and turned over and Whiteman band, including Bing Crosby, the Dorsey brothers, went back to sleep. and sit in. I felt Frank Trumbauer, and Bix Beiderbecke. McPartland lamented "The next day I asked Jack to come down and I were good to Bix the current unemployment for the Pollack band, saying funny about it because, as I said, Glenn But I just had to they were having trouble finding money for food' He asked friends and I didn't want to shorv him up. my mind I must have Bix if he could lend him ten or twenty dollars. Bix opened a have Jack in our band. In the back of wallet that was full of money and uncashed checks and figured that maybe we could have two trombones, but that proffered two one hundred dollar bills to McPartland, saying, never happened - at least not then. "Take this." McPartland declined, accepting only twenty "Well you can guess what did happen. Jack knocked out pretty dollars. everybody and, of course, that made Glenn feel play in Atlantic City "A week or so later," McPartland continued, "we went to uncomfortable. We were scheduled to that he work again, with short engagements in Atlantic City, Syra- that summer, but before we left, Glenn announced Paul Ash to do cuse, and so forth. Back in New York I was having a couple wasn't going because he'd had an offer from stay in ofdrinks with BudFreeman andPee Wee Russell one evening some affanging and he thought he'd take it and in a little speakeasy on 51st Street when Pee Wee began town." gave Glenn the talking about a trombone player, the greatest thing he had Ash's large semi-symphonic orchestra strings. Born in heard in his life. We said we would have to hear the guy, and chance to write for and learn more about Ash that time had Pee Wee said, right, he'd just pop over and get him. Two Germany and raised in Milwaukee, by o'run-outs" to drinks later Pee Wee was backwith the guy, who was wearing centered his activities on Chicago, with a horrible looking cap and overcoat and carrying a trombone surrounding areas. knew, and I felt especially bad, in a case under his arm. Pee Wee introduced us. He was Jack McPartland said, "We all have felt strongly that Teagarden, from Texas, and looked it. 'Fine,'we said. 'We've what the real reason was. Glenn must his exit gracefully.