Ben Pollack and his Park Central Orchestra 1929

[@caspence56]

Jack Teagarden was a good-looking guy in his younger days! What an amazing array of talent in one video. Thank-you.

[@hestheMaster]

God there was a lot of greatly talented musicians in this band! Vitaphone recording from 1929. Sounds great after 91 years. That's all there is; there isn't anymore!

[@davidalen2590]

Yes! It still sounds good!

[@suzyf5733]

Absolutely amazing! Thank you for posting!👍

[@Firebrand55]

A unique glimpse into the pre-Swing Era......this shows Benny Goodman as a routine band member.........5-6 years later he became the King of Swing after the Palomar Ballroom sensation.

[@JuanFecit]

Muchas gracias por compartirlo. Grande Teagarden.

[@mrjimmienoone2130]

My God, Harry Oakley, I've been a decades-long Teagarden fan, and now you show me that BigT played vibes, too. Long before Hampton, Norvo and Rollini.

[@harryoakley]

Not really long before Hampton actually. He started around that time, his first recording (with Louis) is from 1930.

[@frankhunt6736]

MrJimmienoone q1

[@mrjimmienoone2130]

@@frankhunt6736 Thanks, you too.

[@donvito495]

Benny Goodman in in baritone sax? Fantastic!

[@NYC1927]

OMG check out young Benny Goodman on the clarinet!

[@TorontoJon]

I was lucky enough to recently scoop up a Ben Pollack/Benny Goodman LP at a local Value Village for $2 in perfect, near mint condition and after seeing this video, I'm definitely going to be playing it tonight to get into a 1920's nostalgic mood. Thanks for posting this video. :)

[@mainaccount131]

Very enjoyable music

[@johncontos3291]

Benny plays the sax for a short while, first time I've ever seen THAT !!

[@msjazzmeblues]

Benny did quite a bit of baritone and alto sax playing in the days before his big band success. Check out his recording of "Blue (and Broken-Hearted" for a very fine alto solo.

[@walt1896]

msjazzmeblues Also split alto/clarinet duties with Jimmy Dorsey in the Broadway pit of “Girl Crazy” 1930. Also occasionally played in the radio orchestras of NYC with Artie Shaw. Shaw being Shaw said he took most of the alto work as, “Benny had a sound on alto like a buzz saw”

[@janettewalker3991]

Thank you so much for this great and interesting post.

[@brentg3707]

a joy to watch listen too

[@richardmoon1852]

Thanks.

[@scytale6]

How the older generation lived and thought. My parents could appreciate this.

[@RoryVanucchi]

Great clip

[@k62hall]

wow, what a group!

[@dick12235]

Thanks Again.

[@Saxy64]

My mother was 5 years old when this was filmed. I'll have to show it to her on my phone!

[@avdreader1]

I really enjoy Ben pollacks music!

[@dick12235]

Thanks again: Always a treat.

[@Bigband78]

First time i saw this and it's wonderful seeing a young Jack Teagarden at 2:41.

[@luvmyrecords]

I thought BG was born in 1906? GREAT post!

[@thegreatdominion949]

1909.

[@luvmyrecords]

@@thegreatdominion949 Thank you! :) Maybe I got the "6" from '86, when I seem to remember is when he passed? (I was a clarinet major in my senior year in college - if I have the year right - so it was a big deal. I could look it up, huh? 😂)

[@michaeloleary1867]

Love it!'

[@richardgraham5051]

May it please you, Ben Pollack.

[@mainaccount131]

Very good

[@harlanlattimore]

Teagarden played vibes in the band because that was Glenn Miller's job when he was the trombonist for Pollack. Joe Showler told me this. I think it's significant because JT also recorded on vibes with Fats Waller. That predates Lionel Hampton's sides with LA, Red Norvo, and, possibly Adrian Rollini which might make JT the first jazz vibe player recorded

[@kafenwar]

Yeah but it would be nice to know if Teagarden could swing out on the vibes like Hampton or Norvo.

[@ericrumsey7180]

Jack Teagarden on vibes in "Song Of The Island" - 6:47 to close

[@mainaccount131]

Great

[@gregorypalmer5403]

Nice licks by BG

[@roswithagoos8049]

🎉❤

[@wa1ufo]

Nice!

[@norbertertel2989]

I never realized the Pollack put so many to sleep if this is any indication of his performances at that time...

[@gregorypalmer5403]

Always liked Pollack band's Bye Bye for Baby

[@dick12235]

Thanks: My Brain requested this again.

[@ferminguerratello624]

The Song Of The Island , It's A Ideal Lullaby To Have A Nice Dream

[@dick12235]

Thanks: MY brain needed this.

[@pauldasilva3530]

Wow this is so cool. I've seen a short clip of this on the video Benny Goodman: Adventures In The Kingdom of Swing but never in it's entirety!!!! Didn't Ben Pollack play drums though??

[@swcosmos1]

Yes, that was his official instrument. Ben was my cousin - my grandmother's first cousin as was the first violinist you see here - Alex Beller. I didn't know about Ben being who he was until long after he died. My family was pretty stupid. But my gram knew him well and was very close with his sister, with whom he was living when he killed himself. Did you know that? Anyway...Al Beller's son has Ben's drum set.

[@gregorypalmer5403]

BP vocal ? He was good !

[@scotnick59]

19 year-old B.G. at 4:00

[@madturklad]

4:02 Benny Goodman !

[@basilpeewit3350]

The fun thing is that in Song of the Islands, Bauduc flashes about with his brushes. Pollack would do exactly the same when he played himself in The Glenn Miller Story.

[@scotnick59]

MY KIND OF LOVE has an interesting, modern-sounding melody

[@MooPotPie]

The first two songs I hear are "California Here I come" followed by "Memories".

[@altoalto1]

@harlanlattimore You can see indeed that on 0:44 he plays the vides and ond 0:45 he takes the trombone from his lap to play it.

[@alexrevell7628]

A few years ago I saw a different version of this video. The take of My Kind of Love was much shorter and jazzier. Where has that version gone?

[@harryoakley]

There is only one version of this Vitaphone. Originally I had only uploaded an edited "My Kind Of Love" scene. However, it is exactly the same in this full version.

[@harryoakley]

No, Mannie Klein is not present here. Trumpeters are Jimmy McPartland and Al Harris.

[@jamescherney5874]

I think that was Harry James on trumpet. Ben gave him his 1 st big break as a teenager.

[@gennettor8915]

It's Jimmy McPartland.

[@jamescherney5874]

@@gennettor8915 I just made a guess. You obviously know your bands and players.

[@gennettor8915]

@@jamescherney5874 Yes, and I this is also my own upload (years ago) from my own copy of the film. Besides, this was filmed in 1929 when Harry James was 12 years old....

[@harryoakley]

@harlanlattimore I'm sure you're right - but I can't hear vibes anywhere on any of the Pollack Victor records.

[@richardmoon1852]

Thanhks agai.n

[@rjtwigg1]

The most somber version of "California Here I Come".

[@roybo1930]

I LOVE THIS! Is`nt the second song "Memories"??

[@steelers6titles]

Perhaps more major figures passed through Pollack's band than any other outfit--Teagarden, Goodman, Harry James, and another trombonist--Glenn Miller.

[@gennettor8915]

AND Jimmy Mc Partland, Fud Livingstone, Matty Matlock, Eddie Miller - you name them!

[@SydLightbodyOfficialMusic9]

Anyone got the names of the young violinists? The guy on the right looks like a young Joe Martin!

[@iainr222]

The Rust discography lists the dual violinists in the 1929 band as Ed Bergman and Al Beller .

[@SydLightbodyOfficialMusic9]

Thank you

[@swcosmos1]

The guy on the right was my cousin Alex Beller. And Ben Pollack was also my cousin. Their mothers were sisters. Al Beller spent his whole life doing just what you see..and you will find his name on almost every album recorded by the likes of Ella, Sinatra and many others. I knew him. And I knew Ben's sister very well.

[@swcosmos1]

Oh..and my grandmother remembered my meeting Ben once (in Chicago where we were), but I was very young.

[@iainr222]

Thanks for the interesting info . It's great to have such a personal connection to an iconic band of the Roaring Twenties .

[@thegreatdominion949]

I've never before seen Ben Pollack sing, nor conduct the band without drum sticks in his hands. Somewhat oddly, by this time he had given up drumming entirely, transferring those duties to Ray Bauduc. I guess I didn't realize any of his bands were this "sweet". I can't see Benny Goodman being particularly happy playing in a band like this and I think it showed. For instance, Benny was known on a few occasions in the latter years of his involvement with Pollack to recruit members of the band for free-lance record dates which Pollack often did not know about in advance, let alone approve of. Benny left the Pollack band at the ripe old age of 20 in the summer of 1929.

[@gennettor8915]

He kept recording with Pollack until well into 1931 though.

[@BabyBoomerChannel]

This is an important video - thank you. Benny playing SAX???

[@homzymusic]

Ray Bauduc on drums?

[@edmondmcdowell9690]

Half the great band leaders and instrumentalists of the big band swing era went through Pollack's band including Benny Goodman and Glen Miller and Jack Teagarten.

[@alexrevell7628]

Harry, If you say so, but as a clarinet player I was struck by the fact that Goodman's two breaks were very heavily influenced by Dodds.

[@HarborGuy]

Sweet Bands of the '30's - the theme is way sloooooooooooo

[@ferminguerratello624]

Who is playing The Violins?

[@mainaccount131]

Interesting

[@rjtwigg1]

Does anyone know why Ben Pollack committed suicide in 1971 ?

[@EdwardReidPolishTruth]

There is a link to an article on Wikipedia.

[@Mutamaniac]

Sweet AND Hot! Big T has quite a haircut. ;o)

[@mirunok5210]

like,

[@alexrevell7628]

Dear Harry, Sorry, but I distinctly remember the other version as being different.. There were two clarinet breaks by Goodman in My Kind of Love. Alerx

[@harryoakley]

You remember wrong.

[@gennettor8915]

Not so. Only one version of this Vitaphone exists.

[@harryoakley]

Indeed, and I have always wondered why that didn't happen. Perhaps Whiteman and his band were too "big" for this? Mind you, there is so much that could have been filmed for Vitaphone....

[@PKomp]

strange to see goodman playing baritone sax

[@paulhelman2376]

But they wouldn't let Teagarten go out on the pitcher's mound these days.