Ben Pollock in Chicago - early 20th Century

from Hear Me Talkin' To Ya: The Classic Story of Jazz as Told by the Men Who Made It, page 126:

The first time I heard Benny Goodman was in Chicago when we was a kid of eight or nine, and he was doing an imitation of Ted Lewis, who, of course, was then the king. Later, at fifteen or sixteen, and just before I brought him to the Coast to work with me at the Venice Ballroom, he was playing a mixture of Jimmie Noone, Leon Rappolo, Buster Bailey, and other great clarinet players. He always had a terrific gift for handling his instrument, that combination of technique and tone, plus the one thing every musician seeks--a style that can be identified before his name is announced. That style…   more >>
cite as

Nat Hentoff and Nat Shapiro, Hear Me Talkin' To Ya: The Classic Story of Jazz as Told by the Men Who Made It (London, 1992), p. 126. https://led.kmi.open.ac.uk/entity/lexp/1434812905117 accessed: 4 December, 2024

location of experience: Chicago

Listeners

Ben Pollock
jazz drummer, Bandleader
1903-1971

Listening to

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jazz clarinet performed by Benny Goodman

Experience Information

Date/Time early 20th Century
Medium live

Originally submitted by 5011Henning on Sat, 20 Jun 2015 16:08:25 +0100
Approved on Thu, 25 Aug 2016 13:50:47 +0100